When We Were Together
by Miss Doracat
Summary: Even robots deserve to love. Even robots should feel the joy of love. Even robots should feel the pain of love... OC x canon, yay
1. The Strange Friend

**I used to have a nice message here but I accidentally got rid of it while I was editing this, oops.**

 **Anyways, hi! I hope you like this story, it's kinda dumb. It probably won't get updated very often because I have a big issue with staying motivated to write. I do plan on finishing this someday though, so don't you worry about never being able to see the ending.**

 **Just a quick heads up: this is OC x canon in case you didn't see in the summary, so if that isn't your cup of tea I suggest you find another story to read. Also, this story takes place in an AU, and it's rated T for minor swearing, some violence, and brief mentions of sex (which range from silly jokes to actually hinting at something sexual that happened).**

 **One last thing... I am American, so I use "vocab" from the U.S. English dub of Doraemon. I'll put the alternative names of gadgets and such in parentheses since I know not everyone is familiar with that version.**

 **Alright, that's everything. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 1: The Strange Friend

It was a sunny and peaceful day. All of the robots at the Robot Academy were enjoying lunch together. Well, except for one shy, lonely robot cat.  
His name was Doraemon. He was sitting all by himself at a table in the far corner of campus. Sadly, sitting alone was normal for him. He hadn't been in school all that long yet, and as a result he was having a hard time making any friends.

He glanced down at his lunch, which was just a sandwich. He remembered hearing that an exchange student had joined the school system today. But, honestly, he didn't care.

He picked up his lunch and started eating. As he ate, he didn't notice someone coming up behind him. The stranger tapped on Doraemon's shoulder to get his attention. Doraemon spun around to face the person, and was immediately intrigued by what he saw.  
The stranger was a robot cat, like him. Their fur was a slightly darker red than most of the other red robot cats, and their collar was light green. They were a couple inches taller than Doraemon, although it wasn't very noticable.

What caught Doraemon's attention the most were the stranger's eyes. They were half-black and half-white. It was really weird to Doraemon. He wondered if the stranger could see properly.

The stranger's furry ear twitched. Finally, they spoke.

"Hello there. Why are you sitting by yourself? You should be sitting with your friends, not sitting here all alone. Go sit with your friends, not over here on your own."

Doraemon was intrigued by the robot cat's speech. They had a rather high-pitched voice, as if they were a child.

"I...I don't have friends…," Doraemon murmured sadly.

"Nobody likes you?" the stranger asked, taking a seat next to Doraemon.

"I-it's not that, I just haven't been able to make any friends yet," Doraemon answered, looking away awkwardly.

The other robot cat looked down at the table. Suddenly, they appeared to get an idea.

"Hey, I know! How about you and I be friends? Then neither of us will be lonely, since I don't really have any friends either. How does that sound?" they suggested excitedly.

Doraemon thought about the offer.

 _Be my friend? Wow, this robot is really friendly. Well, I don't want to say no and hurt their feelings. Besides, this is a great opportunity to get a friend!_

He looked up at the stranger, who was wagging their tail eagerly.

"Okay, let's be friends!" he said.

"Horray! We're gonna have a great time together, I promise!" the stranger exclaimed, jumping up and down happily.

Doraemon decided to introduce himself once the other robot cat relaxed a bit.

"My name is Doraemon," he said.

"I'm Doramen!" the stranger said, putting a paw on their chest proudly.

It was then that Doraemon gathered enough courage to ask "Doramen" the question that had been floating around in his mind.

"Umm... _Doramen_...may I ask you something?" he asked.

Doramen nodded.  
"Of course you can! Ask me anything!" they said happily, relaxing Doraemon.

"Err...are you a boy or a girl...?"

Doraemon asked quietly, flattening his ears. He hated to even think about asking such an awkward question, but he didn't want to misgender his new friend and possibly offend them. They kinda looked like a girl, but he wasn't quite sure.

"I'm a boy," Doramen answered, twitching his ear. He didn't seem angry, to Doraemon's relief.

"O-okay...just making sure…," Doraemon stammered, obviously embarrassed to have asked such a question.

Doramen smiled at him. He pulled him into a gentle but firm embrace. Doraemon blushed at the sudden physical contact.

 _So, Doramen is very friendly_ and _a bit clingy… He seems like a sweetheart, actually,_ he thought.

"You and I are gonna be friends starting today!" he said.

"Yay!" Doramen cheered.

The two spent the rest of the day celebrating over their new friendship. Although he'd never admit it aloud, Doraemon was thankful to have found someone willing to be his friend. Although he had always had Dorami, she was always spending time with her own group of friends.

Doraemon just hoped that his new relationship with Doramen would last. It would be awful to gain a friend and then immediately lose them…


	2. Introducing a Friend

Chapter 2: Introducing a Friend

Doramen felt a twinge of anger when he saw Doraemon sitting alone. How could someone so friendly and nice not have any friends to spend time with? Doramen knew that Doraemon couldn't get by with only having him as a friend. Doraemon needed someone to hang out with when he wasn't around.

 _I know someone who could help with that._

Doramen walked over to Doraemon and sat down next to him.

"Hello," he greeted.

"Hey," Doraemon replied.

Doramen peered down and saw that Doraemon was doing a word search. He sighed softly.

"I hate it when teachers make us do those," he muttered.

Doraemon shrugged.

"It's a good time killer if you ask me. It also gives me something to do."

"How can you stand being all alone? Don't you wish you had a pal to hang out with?" Doramen inquired.

"I have you now," Doraemon answered as he crossed off a word.

"Yeah, but what about when I'm not around?"

For the first time since the conversation began, Doraemon looked up to meet Doramen's gaze.

"Why are you suddenly asking me about this? We're friends now, I'm not alone anymore," he said sternly.

Doramen suddenly wondered if he was angering Doraemon. Despite his concerns, he pressed onwards.

"That's only when I'm around. I'm your _only_ friend, or at least the only one that hangs out with you. I want you to be able to come to school every day without having to worry about having nobody to spend time with!"

Doraemon looked curious now.

"Why are you caring so much about me? We haven't even known each other for that long," he murmured.

"Well, you're my friend and I don't want you to be sad," Doramen replied.

"I think you're worrying too much."

Doraemon waved his paw dismissively. Doramen was about to respond when the bell rang. He sighed to himself as he watched Doraemon hurriedly pack his things and walk away. After Doraemon had disappeared into a classroom, Doramen turned around and headed to his own class.

He could barely focus on his work. His mind was still stuck in his conversation with Doraemon.

 _Why had he been so dismissive? I thought he didn't like being alone. As his friend I want him to be happy!_

Suppressing a sigh, he forced his mind to drift back into reality and concentrate on the worksheet sitting in front of him.

 _I guess I have no choice but to force him to make another friend…_

With a bit of mental effort, Doramen was able to get through his classes. It was lunch time now. Doramen had the perfect opportunity to get Doraemon a second pal, and he seized it.

"Oh Doraemon~!" Doramen called as he approached the yellow robot cat.

Doraemon sighed mentally when he heard Doramen's voice. He had a feeling he knew what the red robot cat was going to say. He decided to pretend like he had no idea, though.

Doramen slid into the seat beside Doraemon, making the yellow robot cat tense up a little. Doramen had a wide smile on his face, his eyes shining with excitement.

"I have a plan," he announced.

"What kind of plan?" Doraemon asked, not making eye contact.

"I know someone who wants to be your friend," Doramen answered. His smile grew into a grin.

"Who would want to be friends with _me_?" Doraemon completely turned away from Doramen as he spoke.

Doramen crossed his arms. "You're being ridiculous. I think lots of people would want to be your friend, if you stopped being so introverted. I think you're really nice. Lots of people like friends that are nice."

Doraemon slightly turned his head back towards Doramen, just so his eyes were barely visible. "You really think so?" he murmured.

"I _know_ so," Doramen answered with a nod.

Doraemon let out a sigh. He turned back so that he was facing Doramen.

"Okay, show me this person you want me to meet," he said.

Doramen's grin grew wider. He jumped to his feet and impatiently waited for Doraemon to do the same.

Afterwards, he led Doraemon across the campus where everyone hung out. Doraemon was honestly feeling a bit nervous, but he didn't want Doramen to know. It would be embarrassing if Doramen knew he was scared of meeting someone new. He was used to be ignored.

Doramen suddenly quickened his pace. He was approaching a small metal table near the entrance to the whole campus. Doraemon could see a robot cat sitting there, their feet up on the table.

Doramen came to a stop. Doraemon shyly moved behind him as he heard the robot cat sitting at the table moving.

"Hey dude," Doramen greeted casually.

"Hey. Did you bring your friendo?" the other robot cat asked.

It was obvious that they were good friends. They greeted each other in one of the most informal manners Doraemon had ever heard.

"Of course I brought him! I'm not a knucklehead like you." Doramen's tone sounded a little angry, but there was no real threat.

"Then where is he?" the other robot cat inquired.

Doramen sighed. He sidestepped, exposing Doraemon to the stranger. Doraemon flinched a little, but made no attempt to run away or hide himself. Instead he forced himself to swallow down his shyness and face Doramen's unfamiliar pal.

The robot cat had the same general body shape as Doraemon and appeared to be the same height. Their fur was teal, and their collar and tail were both orange. Unlike Doramen, their eyes were the same as any other robot cat, except for a curved sliver of green at the bottom. Based on their voice, Doraemon had come to the conclusion that they were male.

"Uhh… hi there…," Doraemon greeted awkwardly.

"Hi! What's your name?" the stranger asked.

"Doraemon… and yours?"

"My name is Doralien."

 _Doralien? What a strange name_ , Doraemon thought.

"Doramen told me that you're really nice. I hope that's true," Doralien stated.

Doraemon suddenly felt insulted. "Of course I'm nice! If I wasn't, nobody would like me!"

"Alright, don't get your tail in a twist!" Doralien said with a chuckle. "Doramen's a good friend. He's my _best_ friend, actually. I know he wouldn't let either of us down."

Doraemon felt reassured by the happiness shining bright in Doralien's eyes. The teal robot cat appeared to be pretty content, which told Doraemon that he wasn't lying.

"Do you two think you can get along?" Doramen asked suddenly.

"I think we can," Doralien immediately answered.

Doraemon hesitated. He didn't want to hurt Doralien's feelings by telling the blatant truth, but he also didn't want to straight out lie.

"We'll… try our best," he said slowly.

Doramen nodded, seeming to be satisfied by the input. He looked straight at Doraemon, his expression suddenly looking serious.

"Please come hang out with us tomorrow at lunch. We want to get to know you better," he remarked.

Doralien nodded as Doramen spoke to show his agreement. He smiled warmly.

"We'll make sure you'll never be lonely again," he assured.

"Okay, I will," Doraemon replied after a brief silence.

"Meet us back at this table. This where the two of us hang out," Doramen said.

Doraemon nodded. "Got it."

"I look forward to it." Doralien's smile grew bigger as he spoke.

Doraemon returned it. "So do I."

* * *

 **A/N: Doralien's name is pronounced "Dora-line"**


	3. Trigger

Chapter 3: Trigger

It has been about six months since Doraemon and Doramen became friends. Life has been going pretty well for the duo. They haven't had any major problems and are enjoying school.

Speaking of school, the two robot cats' PE class was going to be playing dodgeball. It was the first time the class would be playing the game in the entire school year. Doramen was especially excited to play, for he loved dodgeball.

Doraemon, Doramen, and Doralien stood in line at roll call that afternoon as the teacher took attendance. Doramen was fidgeting restlessly, itching to start playing. Doralien, who was standing on Doramen's right, chuckled.

"You wanting to play some dodgeball?" he asked.  
"Yes! I'm dying to get started!" Doramen replied, imagining tossing dodgeballs at his opponents.

"I had no idea you were so into dodgeball," Doraemon commented.  
"He only loves it 'cause he usually wins…," Doralien muttered.

Doramen gently smacked his teal companion's shoulder.

"Not true! I love it because it's fun!" he objected.

"Yeah, right…," Doralien replied.

The teacher beckoned the class to go down to the grass field before Doramen could respond. Doramen jumped up and down excitedly when he saw a pile of foam balls on the field.

"Race ya!" he shouted to Doralien before dashing down towards the field.

"Hey, wait up!" Doralien called, running after him.

Doraemon chuckled at them.

Once the whole class was down at the field, the teacher explained the rules of dodgeball. After that boring lecture, the teacher split the class into two teams: Red Team and Blue Team.

Unfortunately, the three robot cat friends got separated. Doramen and Doraemon were put on Blue Team, and Doralien was put on Red Team.

The teacher then told the students to put on their "uniforms". As Doraemon was putting his on, he saw Doramen a little ways away. The red robot cat was pacing back and forth restlessly.

Doraemon grinned and approached him.

"You ready to play some dodgeball?" he asked.

"Yep!" Doramen replied eagerly.

The teacher blew the whistle, signaling for the game to begin. Immediately robots from both teams grabbed balls and started tossing them.  
Doramen was grabbing every ball he could find and throwing them at every robot on the other team he saw, while avoiding balls being thrown at him. Doraemon, who had only played dodgeball once before, mostly stood in the back while trying to get into the "beat" of the game.

He noticed that Doramen appeared to be having difficulty dodging the large amount of foam balls being tossed at him. He picked up a ball and ran up beside Doramen. He tossed it at and hit the nearest robot cat, who had been repeatedly attempting to hit Doramen. The robot cat sighed and stomped away into the area where students who got "out" had to go.

"Look out, Doraemon!"

Doraemon had been too distracted to notice that a ball was flying directly towards his face. Doramen stepped out in front of him and caught the ball, causing the thrower to be out.

"Th-thank you Doramen!" Doraemon said.

Doramen faced him. "You're welcome."  
Doraemon and Doramen stared into each other's eyes for a moment.

 _Wow...his eyes look so pretty in the sunlight…,_ Doramen thought somewhat absently.

The two robot cats' "moment" was interrupted when a ball whizzed by Doramen's ear. Doramen jumped, startled by the ball almost hitting him. He realized that standing around in the open wasn't very smart, and ran off to find a ball.

But, as he ran, he felt this strange longing feeling. He shook his head in an attempt to make the feeling go away, but he realized the feeling was in his heart, not his mind. He gently punched his chest a couple times. The feeling didn't go away.

Doramen sighed. He tried to ignore the feeling and continue the game. Thankfully, after he got back into the mood of the game, the feeling disappeared.

When the game ended, the teacher announced the winner was Blue Team. Of course, everyone on the team was happy they won. But Doraemon's happiness was especially noticeable.

"Yay! We won, we won!" Doraemon cried somewhat loudly.

He cheered as he jumped up and down, obviously very happy. As Doramen watched Doraemon, he felt warm inside. It appeared to him as though seeing Doraemon so happy made him feel happy too.

He flattened his ears when he felt the strange longing feeling return. He realized that there was something unknown desire he had deep down inside. His mind was yearning for something...but what?

Doramen looked down at the ground, his ears perking back up to hear Doraemon's happy cheers and cries. He shook his head furiously, clearing his mind of any thoughts that might have triggered this feeling.

He looked back up, straight forward, and walked with the class down to the locker rooms. Despite forcing his mind to stay clear, he couldn't help keeping his ears angled towards Doraemon. He has no idea what had happened inside his heart.


	4. The Discovery

Chapter 4: The Discovery

Doramen sighed. He was sitting at his and Doraemon's usual table, waiting for said yellow robot cat. He set his head on his crossed arms.

A plate of ramen sat by Doramen's head- his lunch. But, Doramen wasn't hungry. In fact, he hasn't been hungry hardly at all since his P.E. class played dodgeball last week.

Speaking of lack of hunger, ever since that dodgeball game, Doramen has been feeling and acting strangely. He lately hadn't been able to think about anything but Doraemon. The young yellow robot cat took over all of Doramen's thoughts. He even thought about Doraemon more than rice cakes!

Doramen also noticed that Doraemon was starting to stand out from his other friends. When he was sitting with all his friends, he would always notice Doraemon first. Or, sometimes, he would unconsciously look for Doraemon first.

On top of that, Doramen noticed how much time he spent either being around Doraemon or trying to find Doraemon. His chest would tighten up every time Doraemon left his sight. He started to realize that his mind wanted him to be as close to Doraemon for as long as possible.

But, Doramen did not understand why he was feeling like this. He wondered if he was going crazy. His belly churned anxiously as he waited for Doraemon.

 _Man, where is he? I hope he's okay…,_ he thought, suddenly becoming nervous.

After several seconds of anxiously waiting, Doraemon came into sight. Doramen felt his chest warm up when he spotted the young yellow robot cat. Doraemon was carrying a tray with rice on it- his lunch.

Doramen's heart suddenly started to beat very fast as Doraemon sat down across from him. His breath caught in his throat when Doraemon smiled warmly at him. He watched Doraemon happily eat the food on his tray.

His own food completely forgotten, Doramen laid his head back down and quietly watched Doraemon. He felt the strange desire to sit next to the yellow robot cat.

 _What the heck is going on with me? Why am I feeling like this? Maybe I'm sick, or maybe I'm losing my mind... I just want to know why I'm feeling like this and what I can do to make it go away! I've never felt like this before in my entire life... I don't understand…,_ he thought, flattening his ears.  
Doraemon noticed the gesture and the unhappy look on Doramen's face.  
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked.  
Despite the fear and anxiety he was feeling, Doramen's heart warmed up at the sound of Doraemon's voice. Angry at the return of the warm, unfamiliar feeling in his heart, Doramen punched his chest a couple times. Doraemon flattened his ears.  
"Don't hurt yourself, Doramen!"  
Realizing that he had upset Doraemon, Doramen was suddenly flooded with extreme guilt and shame. He felt like he was the most horrible person in the world. His heart started to physically ache with sadness.  
"I-I'm sorry…," he muttered.

He suddenly felt the compulsion to run away. Without another word, he stood up, grabbed his things, and walked away as fast as he could without getting in trouble. His ears were flat against his head and his tail and whiskers were drooped.

Doraemon watched him leave, confused.

Doramen sat down at a table far away and buried his face in his arms. His heart was pounding as if he had run a marathon.

 _What's wrong with me?_

As the week progressed, Doramen's symptoms only got worse. His need to be near Doraemon grew stronger and stronger, and the warm feeling he gets in his heart also grew stronger.

Not only did his original symptoms get worse, he also developed new symptoms. Now, Doramen started to feel extremely shy around Doraemon. His heart would pound, his fur would prick and fluff out, his cheeks would sometimes turn red, and he would slightly sweat when Doraemon was close by.

He felt two contradicting feelings when around Doraemon: a desire to be as close to Doraemon as possible, and a need to run away and hide from Doraemon. And, like with all his other symptoms, Doramen did not understand why he was having these needs.

About two weeks after the dodgeball game, Doramen decided to talk with Doralien about his experiences. He walked up to the table where the teal robot cat was sitting, his heart pounding nervously.

With a sigh, he sat down across from his friend. Doralien looked up from the book he was reading.

"Hey Doramen. What's with the long face?" he asked.

"I need to talk to you," Doramen replied in a serious tone.

Doralien could tell this was urgent. He stuck a bookmark in his novel, closed it, and put it on the empty seat beside him. His gaze locked with Doramen's.

"What do you need?" he asked.

Doramen hesitated.

"I haven't been feeling like myself."

"Be more specific," Doralien prompted.

Doramen proceeded to tell his friend all about his strange symptoms. Afterwards, Doralien looked very… unhappy. It was hard for Doramen to pinpoint an exact emotion in his friend's green eyes, but he could tell the familiar glimmer of happiness had faded.

 _I hope he's just deep in thought, and not about to tell me I've got something seriously wrong with me…_

It was several seconds before Doralien finally spoke.

"Well Doramen…," he began.

Doramen gulped nervously.

"...your symptoms are quite unusual. I've never heard anything like it. I honestly don't what to tell you," Doralien said.

The answer both disappointed and comforted Doramen.

"Can you at least give me some advice?" he pleaded.

Doralien was silent for a moment.

"Try doing some personal research, like on a computer. That might help you find answers."

"I guess that won't hurt. Thanks, pal," Doramen replied.

"No problem," Doralien muttered as he grabbed his book.

He opened it and held it so Doramen couldn't see his face.

 _Doralien is so weird sometimes,_ Doramen thought as he departed from the table.

That afternoon, Doramen got on his computer at his house and started searching. At first, he tried searching his symptom of his heart warming up around Doraemon. All of the results were either heart diseases or allergies.

He then tried searching his symptoms of his heart racing, his fur fluffing out, and sweating when he gets extremely close to Doraemon. Once again, the results were all illnesses Doramen couldn't even get due to being a robot, and allergies.

Frustrated, Doramen tried searching his symptoms of being unable to stop thinking about Doraemon, his heart aching when Doraemon left, and his unconscious and usually uncontrollable need to give Doraemon little presents.

When the results popped up, Doramen froze. His eyes widened as he stared at the screen. Displayed in front of him was a list of his exact symptoms and one diagnosis: _a crush_.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Could it be true? Was he really in love with Doraemon?

He suddenly felt stupid. How did he go this entire time without realizing he had a crush on his friend? It should have been obvious.

Doramen sighed and shook away the negative thoughts. He didn't want to sit there and beat himself up over it. After all, he'd never been in love before. The important thing now was finding a way to cope with his new crush.


	5. Shyness

Chapter 5: Shyness

 _Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump._

Doramen's heart pounded so hard he feared it would burst out of his chest. He couldn't stop thinking about last week. It was still hard for him to believe that he was in love with Doraemon. He didn't even know why the news had shocked him so much.

Although it pleased him to know that he had found love, it also scared him a lot. Just thinking about Doraemon made him want to curl up in the nearest hiding spot and never come back out. He felt overwhelmed with shyness, as usual when it came to crushes.

 _How on Earth am I gonna be able to spend time with Doraemon, now that I have a crush on him? I'll just want to run away…_

Since his shyness made him want to get away from Doraemon, he decided to sit somewhere different. His heart felt like it was going to explode at the mere thought of being around his crush. He yearned for it, but at the same time he was afraid of it.

In an attempt to distract himself, he pulled out some homework and forced himself to try and do it. It took a lot of willpower for him to take his mind off Doraemon, but he was able to get one worksheet done. As he was about to start working on the next one, he saw someone approaching him.

 _Doraemon!_

Panic suddenly flooded him. He wanted to run away and hide, but his body was frozen. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get himself to move. His body sat there in terrifying silence as Doraemon got closer and closer.

Doramen could see Doraemon's face now. The yellow robot cat didn't look very happy, which made Doramen's conflicting urges grow stronger. Doramen badly wanted to flee in fear of getting yelled at, yet he wanted to stay in case his crush was upset at something else and was coming to him for comfort. He helplessly watched as Doraemon sat down across from him.

"Doramen," Doraemon greeted softly.

Doramen felt his face heat up.

"D-Doraemon," he replied.

"Can I ask you something?" Doraemon inquired.

Icy fear washing over him, Doramen nodded.

"Why didn't you come hang out with me and Doralien? Are you mad at us?"

Doraemon sounded sad, not angry. Doramen suddenly felt guilty. He hadn't even thought about how Doraemon and Doralien would feel about him avoiding them.

"I… uhh… I just wanted… some alone time…," he murmured awkwardly.

Doraemon paused before responding.

"Are you sad? I can go get Doralien if you wanna talk to him about it."

Doramen's heartbeat soared. Doraemon was genuinely concerned about his well-being.

 _Doraemon is such a nice and thoughtful cat… I guess that's why I fell in love with him. Because of school we haven't had much time to get to know each other, and here he is offering to fetch Doralien so he can cheer me up! Even though I'm not sad…_

"I-I appreciate the offer Doraemon, but I'm not sad. I'm…."

Doramen trailed off for a moment, trying to come up with an excuse.

"I'm trying to get my homework done before I actually go home, and I think I would concentrate better alone," he said quietly.

Doraemon blinked at him.

"Oh, okay. Sorry for bothering you."

The yellow robot cat turned around and went back the way he came. Doramen watched him go, his heart immediately calming down. At the same time, he felt a pang of guilt.

 _I lied to him! What kind of friend am I?_

….

"Okay everyone, this is a group project!"

Doramen's heart lurched at the teacher's announcement. His gaze immediately drifted to Doraemon, who sat on the other side of the classroom. The yellow robot cat had his attention fixed on the teacher.

Doramen felt his heart start to race. He knew Doraemon would come to him so they could work together. Shyness still had a tight grip on Doramen, however. He didn't want to work with anyone.

His shyness was fighting an equally strong sense of fear. He was afraid that "rejecting" Doraemon would hurt his feelings. The thought of upsetting Doraemon made him feel awful. He wanted to spend time with Doraemon to make him happy, but he also wanted to work alone so he wouldn't have a meltdown.

 _I'd rather embarrass myself in front of Doraemon than make him sad…_

When the teacher dismissed everyone to get into groups of two, Doraemon immediately headed towards Doramen. Doramen's heart pounded so hard he was sure the whole class could hear it. The student beside him got up to join their own group, leaving a perfect spot for Doraemon to sit. Doramen forced himself to be still and smile as Doraemon sat down.

"Hey Doramen. Ready to get this assignment done?" Doraemon asked cheerfully.

Doramen's smile grew bigger without him even realizing it.

"You bet I am," he answered.

The two robot cats waited in silence for the teacher to pass out the assignment to everyone. Only one person in each group was allowed to have a copy to make it easier for the teacher to catch students not working. When Doraemon received his copy, he set it on the gap between his and Doramen's desks so they could both read it.

As Doramen, who had calmed down, leaned forward and started reading, his face suddenly felt warm. He glanced beside him and nearly had a heart attack. Doraemon was looking down at the paper, his face only a few inches away from Doramen's. Their cheeks were almost touching. Doramen could have sworn his heart leapt into his throat when he realized he could see Doraemon's fur. His heart started racing once more. He forced his gaze down back on the paper and used every bit of willpower he had to focus on reading.

"Umm…"

Doraemon's voice snapped Doramen out of his thoughts. He looked up at his friend, who returned his curious gaze with one of great concern.

"Doramen, are you okay?" Doraemon asked quietly.

Doramen was silent for a moment.

"Of course I'm fine!" he answered briskly.

"You sure? Your eyes are really wide, and you sounded like you were breathing really fast… I was worried you were panicking."

Doraemon sounded really worried. Knowing that they were so close, Doraemon could hear his breathing only made Doramen feel worse. He suddenly realized that Doraemon was probably right about the panicking.

"I wasn't panicking!" he denied. "You're just… just... just…"

His words got caught in his throat. He wanted to tell Doraemon that he was overreacting or worrying too much, but he didn't want to insult his crush. At the same time he couldn't come up with anything "softer" to say and ended up getting stuck in his sentence like a broken record. Instead of trying to finish his sentence, he shut his mouth and went silent.

Doraemon stared at him, only growing more concerned. Doramen spoke before he could even open his mouth.

"Just… pretend this never happened."

Doramen grabbed the assignment and turned in his seat until his back was facing Doraemon. Doraemon sighed softly and leaned on the back of his seat, patiently waiting for him to read the paper.

Doramen struggled to read the instructions on the assignment. His mind was racing after everything that had just happened. No matter how many times he read through the instructions, the information left him immediately. As if he wasn't stressed enough, he could feel Doraemon's gaze burning in his back. It made him even more on edge knowing that his crush was waiting for him.

 _How am I gonna tell Doraemon that I don't know what to do? It shouldn't be so hard to read a few sentences! It just goes in one ear and right out the other. I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't do this… I can't, I can't, I_ can't _!_

He shot his paw into the air. The teacher walked over to where he and Doraemon were sitting and asked what he needed help with.

"Actually, I just need to use the bathroom," Doramen announced.

Once he received a bathroom pass, he dashed out of the classroom. Doraemon watched him go, speechless. Doramen ran down the hallway and into the bathroom. He leaned against the wall and covered his face, trying to calm down. In the empty, echoey room, he realized that Doraemon was right. He was breathing really fast. He never even noticed.

Groaning, he uncovered his face and paced back and forth. He tried to focus his mind on the sound of his echoing footsteps and let that calm him.

 _I can't believe I started freaking out just by sitting next to Doraemon! I've never felt like this before. My heart won't stop pounding… I feel like it's going to explode if I spend another second with Doraemon. He didn't even do anything to me! Why did I react like that?_

He stopped pacing and looked at himself in the mirror, the answer dawning on him.

"It's because I love him, isn't it?" he asked his reflection.

He shook his head, dismissing the thought.

"No," he told his reflection. "It's because I _really_ love him. More than anyone I've ever met."


	6. The Sleepover Incident

**Warning: there will be violence in this chapter**

* * *

Chapter 6: The Sleepover Incident

"Hey Doramen! Can you come over here for a minute?"

Doramen mentally sighed when he heard Doralien call his name. He slowly walked over to the table where Doralien was sitting. The robot cat had a large grin on his face, which Doramen had come to learn as a bad sign.

"What do you want?" Doramen asked as he sat down.

"I'm hosting a sleepover at my house tonight! You wanna come?" Doralien asked.

"A sleepover?" Doramen echoed.

"Yeah, a sleepover. Do you want to join it?"

Doramen looked down thoughtfully. He considered the offer of going over to Doralien's house to spend the night. It sounded like fun. After all, he hadn't been over to Doralien's house in a long time. But, Doramen thought, there was probably a catch. A grin always means mischief when it comes to Doralien.

"Okay Doralien, I accept. I'll go to your slumber party thing."

"Yay!" Doralien shouted, giving Doramen a tight hug.

Doramen chuckled awkwardly and wriggled out of his best friend's grasp. He smoothed the fur around his belly that had been wrinkled when Doralien hugged him.

"I'll see you tonight, pal," he said, grabbing his things and leaving.

That afternoon, Doramen got prepared to go to the sleepover. He groomed himself extra long, making sure he looked nice. There was no way he was letting himself go over there looking bad with the risk of Doraemon being there.

He grabbed his pillow and a blanket and left his house. His whiskers twitched as he walked down the street. The sun was setting behind him, creating a shadow in front of him that slowly got bigger.

Sighing happily, he approached Doralien's house. All of the lights were on, indicating that there was some activity inside. Doramen walked up to the front door and knocked.

"I'll get it!" said a voice from inside the house.

The front door opened to reveal Doralien with an ear-to-ear grin on his face.

"Ah, Doramen! Welcome, welcome! Come right in!" he said very cheerfully, stepping out of the way.

Doramen stepped inside the house, casting Doralien a strange glance as he did so. He walked into the living room and instantly grew on edge. Doraemon and a yellow, female robot cat he'd never seen before were sitting in there waiting for him. Doramen felt a pang of anger at how close the stranger was sitting to Doraemon.

Doralien walked in behind him, still smiling as though nothing was wrong. He beckoned Doramen to take a seat on the floor with the other guests. Doramen sat down across from them, trying not to glare at the stranger.

"Okay, now that everyone is here," Doralien began cheerfully, "what should we do first?"

"Let's play a board game!" Doraemon suggested, wagging his tail.

Due to his crush on Doraemon, Doramen immediately agreed. However, the stranger had another idea.

"How about we built a fort?" she asked.

Doramen's enthusiasm vanished when Doraemon agreed with her. His fur bristled angrily. Doraemon smiled warmly at the stranger, appearing to have completely forgotten about his earlier idea.

"Build a fort, huh? Are there any other ideas?" Doralien prompted, seeming to not have heard Doraemon's suggestion.

Doraemon did not bring up his idea of playing a board game. Doramen decided to restate his idea.

"Play a board game?" he asked, glancing at Doraemon.

The stranger rolled her eyes.

"No way, that's boring!" she growled.

Doramen was angered by the response. He sighed, trying to calm down. He didn't notice Doraemon gazing at him curiously.

"Hey Doramen? Are you okay?" Doraemon asked.

Doramen furiously shook his head, trying to get rid of his anger.

"I-I'm fine!" he said.

Doralien was also gazing at him.

"L-let's just build a fort!" he said nervously.

The stranger immediately ran into the bedroom and grabbed a blanket off the bed. Together she and Doralien built a fort using the blanket and some chairs. Once the fort was built and stable, Doraemon crawled under it.

Doramen was angered when he complimented the stranger and Doralien on the construction of the fort. The two robot cats went under the fort to join Doraemon. Doramen stayed put, however. He eyed the fort warily.

Doraemon, realizing that Doramen wasn't under the fort, poked his head out. He flattened his ears at the upset look on Doramen's face.

"Doramen..? Are you okay..? Why aren't you under the fort…?" he asked quietly.

Doramen sighed and gazed softly at his secret crush.

"I'm fine, Doraemon…," he lied. "I'll come under the fort with you."

He got on his paws and knees and crawled underneath the fort. Doraemon crawled up beside him until their sides touched. Doramen blushed and turned his head away shyly. Doraemon tilted his head to the side curiously.

Heart pounding nervously, Doramen crawled away from Doraemon and sat down next to Doralien. He narrowed his eyes at the stranger when she beckoned Doraemon to sit next to her. His fur bristled as Doraemon obeyed.

Doralien patted his back comfortingly.

"You okay, dude?" he asked.

Doramen nodded and curled up into a ball, making it clear that he didn't want to talk about it. As the night progressed, the four robot cats did a variety of activities. They played charades and some board games, ate lots of food, and watched multiple movies.

It was currently 11:30 PM. Doramen was curled up under the fort watching his fourth movie. Doralien and the stranger had gone to bed a while ago, leaving him and Doraemon alone. Doraemon was in the kitchen eating yummy buns.

Doramen parted his jaws in a wide yawn. He could barely keep his eyes open, but he wanted to finish his movie before he went to bed. Doraemon wasn't as sleepy, but he too had barely any energy.

Doramen's movie ended after about fifteen minutes. Yawning loudly, he slowly rose to his feet. He exited the fort and turned off the TV. Doraemon heard him and walked in.

"You going to bed?" he asked, taking a bite of his yummy bun.

"Yep. I can barely keep my eyes open. I feel like a zombie," Doramen answered with another yawn.

"Alrighty. Good night," Doraemon replied happily.

Doramen was about to reply when he heard a door open. He looked down the hallway and saw the stranger, whose name he discovered to be "Dorami", emerged from a room and walked sluggishly into the bathroom.

Before anyone had gone to bed, Doralien had arranged where everyone would sleep.

"There are only two bedrooms, so two of us will have to sleep in one bedroom, and two in the other," Doralien had told the group.

There had been some arguing over who would sleep with who. Doraemon wanted to sleep with Dorami and Doramen, Doramen wanted to sleep with Doraemon and Doralien, and Dorami wanted to sleep with just Doraemon. Eventually, Doralien, who never gave his two cents on who he wanted to sleep with, had to make up the sleeping arrangements himself to stop the arguing.

"Okay guys, this is how everyone will sleep: Doraemon and Dorami will sleep in one bedroom, and Doramen and I will sleep in the other bedroom," he had announced.

Nobody had protested Doralien's decision despite it not satisfying everyone's wishes.

"Good night, sw- I mean, Doraemon!" Doramen stammered, dashing into the bedroom where Doralien was sound asleep.

He slowly and quietly closed the door before tiptoeing past the bed and to the sleeping bag on the floor. Doralien got to sleep in the bed for whatever reason, leaving Doramen to sleep on the floor in a hot and stuffy sleeping bag. Mentally sighing, Doramen curled up inside the sleeping bag and fell asleep.

3:45 AM

Doralien jerked awake, breathing heavily. He had just had a strange nightmare where a giant car was chasing him, trying to run him over. He glanced at Doramen's sleeping bag. The red robot cat was fast asleep.

Sighing, Doralien plopped his head back onto his pillow. He immediately felt something tickling his nose. Sitting up, he examined his pillow and spotted a long string.

He sighed again and slid off his bed. He went into the kitchen to find some scissors. After almost ten minutes of searching, he still couldn't find any scissors. Being a natural idiot, he decided to cut the string using a knife.

He grabbed a steak knife and made his way back to the bedroom. While he had been gone, a neighbor's dog's barking had awoken Doramen. The red robot cat was sitting up when Doralien entered the room. But Doralien was not greeted kindly.

Due to the very little light in the room, Doramen couldn't tell the cat that had walked in was Doralien. He interpreted Doralien's figure as an armed enemy. Unsheathing his claws, he screamed,

"Intruder! Intruder!"

Doralien's blood ran cold when he heard Doramen's cry. Before he could reply, Doramen sprang at him. Doramen tackled him and raised his paw. Doralien stared in horror, hyperventilating. He attempted to say something, but Doramen cut him off.

Doramen brought down his paw and raked his claws through the upper left side of Doralien's face, gruesomely ripping apart his left ear and eye. Doralien shrieked in agony as blood poured from the huge wound.

Doramen was about to strike again when he froze in horror. He recognized Doralien's voice, and realized that he had attacked his best friend. Feeling incredibly ashamed of himself and afraid he'll get caught, he fled out the window, leaving Doralien to scream his heart out.

Doramen ran down the street as fast as he could, determined to get as far away from Doralien's house as he could. As he ran, his ears picked up the sound of a siren. He halted and watched, crying, as an ambulance shot down the street towards Doralien's house, its deafening siren echoing in the soundless night.


	7. Scars

Chapter 7: Scars

Doramen sat at his regular table at school, his face buried in his arms. It has been a week since the sleepover incident. Doralien has been in the hospital the entire time, getting treatment for his wounds. Doramen has been too afraid to visit him, despite constant ushering from Doraemon.

A deep sigh escaped Doramen. Doraemon had told him earlier in the day that Doralien had been released from the hospital and would be returning to school tomorrow. He was honestly afraid of Doralien, because he knew he would hate him for attacking him.

 _Someone help me… Tomorrow is going to be a nightmare…_

The next day, Doramen was sitting with Doraemon. It was before-school "recess", so it was still early and chilly. Doramen was pressed up against Doraemon, his fur fluffed up in fear. The two robot cats were sitting near the entrance to the school so they could see Doralien when he arrived.

Doramen's heart pounded as he stared out into the large, empty space where students walked onto campus. Doralien could show up at any moment.

Doraemon was confused by Doramen's fear. He thought Doramen would be excited to see Doralien again. But the red robot cat was obviously very afraid of Doralien's return.

After several minutes, a teal figure could be seen approaching the school. Doramen squeaked in fear and shoved his head behind Doraemon. Doralien was slowly walking up to the table. His head was lowered to the ground, not looking very happy.

Doraemon tilted his head to the side curiously. A hat could be spotted atop Doralien's head that not only covered his ears but also his eyes. Doraemon had never seen the teal robot cat wear a hat before. It concerned him to see his friend suddenly wearing such a large one.

Doralien walked all the way up to the table and stopped, still looking down. Several seconds of silence followed. Eventually, Doraemon gathered the courage to break the silence.

"H-hey Doralien… I'm glad you're better… We missed you…"

Doralien did not reply, or even move. He continued to stare down at the ground, frowning. Doraemon flattened his ears in concern. He nudged Doramen, silently urging him to say something. The red robot cat did not stirr. Frustrated, Doraemon decided to continue.

"Err...Doralien… I know you've had a traumatic experience, so if you want us to leave you alone, we will. But, if you wanna talk about it, you're also welcome to take a seat…"

Doralien drew in a shaky breath.

"I'm sorry…," he said quietly.

Doraemon twitched his ear curiously.

"For what? You didn't do anything wrong! It's not your fault some psycho broke into your house and attacked you!" he protested.

When Doralien had still been in the hospital, he lied to Doraemon and told him that some crazy person broke through the window and attacked him. He also falsely reported that Doramen had disappeared from the house after the attack because he was chasing after the criminal. Doramen had no part in the making of the lie, but he was grateful to know that Doraemon didn't know the truth and was still his friend.

Doralien chuckled softly, a weak smile appearing on his face for a moment. He reached up to his hat and pulled it off his head. Doraemon gasped in horror. Doramen stayed silent, trembling.

Doralien's right ear was completely gone. There wasn't a single trace of it. Five long, ugly scars stretched from the empty spot where his ear should be down across his right eye, which was tightly shut.

"D-D-Doralien….. Y-your eye…." Doraemon stuttered quietly, staring at Doralien's eye. "A-and your ear…. It's completely gone..!"

Doramen remained silent, trembling harder. Tears blurred his vision and threatened to fall down his cheeks. His heart was pounding so hard he thought for sure Doralien would hear it.

Doralien stared silently at his friend. He dropped his hat onto the ground, his whiskers twitching. He felt slight satisfaction from the horrified look on Doraemon's face. His half-blind gaze shifted to Doramen, who had made no comment the entire time.

"Doramen."

Doramen flinched, but made no move to face his injured friend.

"Doramen, look at me," Doralien ordered gently.

Doraemon roughly jabbed Doramen with his elbow, clearly unhappy about the red robot cat's unresponsiveness. Doramen squeaked in pain and lifted his head. He slowly turned towards Doralien, gasping when he saw the damage done.

 _I did that to him…_

Tears started streaming down his face as he stared. Doralien stared back. His frown deepened, but his gaze was gentle.

"Doramen."

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…," Doramen murmured as he continued to cry.

"It's not your fault, Doramen. It never was, and it never will," Doralien told him gently.

He cautiously walked over to his sobbing friend and sat down beside him so that they were at eye level.

"Look at me, Doramen. I don't blame you for any of this," he assured.

"But-"

Doramen was cut off when Doralien pressed a paw to his lips. The teal robot cat smiled as he stared into Doramen's tear-filled eyes.

"Nothing you say will change my mind. Don't beat yourself up over something you couldn't control. I should've locked the window," he said softly.

Doramen cried harder. It hurt him more knowing that Doralien had to twist his words to keep the truth from Doraemon.

 _No! It_ is _my fault! I_ could _control it! You shouldn't be forgiving me! I permanately disfigured you! You're probably blind in that eye_ and _deaf in that ear!_

Doralien pulled Doramen into a gentle embrace. Doramen hugged back and shoved his face into Doralien's left shoulder. Doraemon reached over and rubbed Doramen's back comfortingly.

"It's not your fault," Doralien murmured.

"It's not your fault," Doraemon repeated.

The two robot cats repeatedly murmured reassuring things to Doramen in order to calm him down. After several minutes, he finally stopped crying. He broke out of his embrace with Doralien and looked up at him.

"You feeling better?" Doralien asked.

"It's not my fault," Doramen answered.

Doralien smiled warmly.

"That's the positivity I like hearing from you," he said.

Doramen halfheartedly smiled back.

 _It's not my fault._


	8. The Confession

Chapter 8: The Confession

Doramen stared at the wall in silence. He was thinking deeply, a rare occurrence for someone like him. His heart was pounding despite how calm and relaxed he looked.

What was he thinking so hard about, you may ask? He was thinking about his and Doraemon's future. Over the past three weeks, his love for Doraemon had grown tremendously. His heart ached horribly for Doraemon's love.

Not long ago, he had come to realize that he was becoming love sick. He was desperate to win Doraemon's heart. But, he couldn't do that with Doraemon being unaware of his intentions.

He knew that, as scared as he was, he would have to confess his feelings to Doraemon. Doramen was a very shy little cat, however. It would be very difficult for him to gather the courage to tell Doraemon his feelings.

The very thought of it made his heart pound insanely and he would sweat like he was in the middle of a desert. It also made him think about everything that could go wrong. He would become deathly afraid that Doraemon would reject him, or someone would take Doraemon before he could make his move.

That was what he was currently thinking about, specifically the possibility of being rejected and the reasons why he could get rejected. His main concern was that Doraemon would think he's sick in the head or something for being homosexual, and reject him. He prayed that Doraemon was at least bisexual and would give him a chance.

A deep, shaky sigh escaped him. The thought of rejection made him want to curl up in a ball and cry. He honestly doubted his aching heart could take the pain. The huge fear of rejection made him very scared to confess his feelings.

He suddenly huffed and violently shook his head.

"I can't do this alone…," he said to himself.

Taking another deep breath, he got up from the table and went off to find Doralien. He spotted the teal robot cat sitting at a table by himself, scribbling in some book. Doraemon wasn't anywhere nearby.

Mentally sighing in relief, Doramen walked up to the table and sat down. Doralien looked up from his book, which turned out to be a collection of crossword puzzles.

"What's up, dude?" he asked with a smile.

At first Doramen didn't know how to answer. He was scared to tell his friend that he wanted to confess to Doraemon. Doralien looked back down at his crossword puzzle as he patiently waited for a response. Doramen took a deep breath.

"I-I think it's time I confess my feelings to Doraemon…," he murmured.

Doralien jerked his head back up, his eyes widening.

"You wanna confess to him?" he asked, as if to clarify.

"Yeah… I mean, I've been in love with him for two and a half months now. I gotta tell him soon or he might find someone else," Doramen answered.

"Well, do you have any ideas yet?"

Doralien shoved his book to the side as he spoke.

"I don't really know, to be honest… I was hoping you could give me some advice," Doramen replied.

Doralien nodded thoughtfully. He looked down at the table, only to immediately look back up.

"I have a question. When you confess your feelings, are you going to ask him to be your boyfriend as well?" he asked.

Doramen's eyes widened.

"I didn't even think about that… But, it would probably be a good idea to go ahead and ask," he said.

Doralien nodded. He looked back down at the table, appearing to be deep in thought. After several moments of silence, he perked up.

"I have an idea!" he exclaimed.

"What, what?" Doramen asked eagerly.

"Perhaps you could take Doraemon out on a picnic or something in the park, and then confess once he's all happy," Doralien explained.

"That's a good idea."

Doramen felt relieved at the idea.

"Or," Doralien continued, "maybe you could take Doraemon somewhere like the bowling alley and give him a good time, and then confess when you get home."

"That's _also_ a good idea. But I don't know which one would be perfect… I mean, I haven't known Doraemon for very long, I don't know much about what he likes to do and that kinda stuff."

"I think you should go with what your gut says. It hasn't led you astray yet," Doralien said.

Doramen sighed deeply.

"It's so hard to decide…"

He teared up, his bottom lip trembling.

"I don't wanna be rejected…. I'm so scared…," he whimpered, flattening his ears.

"Don't cry, buddy! Everything will be okay," Doralien said, gently hugging the red robot cat.

Doramen sniffled and rubbed his eyes.

"You think so..?"

"I _know_ so," Doralien assured.

A shaky sigh escaped Doramen.

"I like your idea about taking Doraemon to the park more," he said.

Doralien smiled warmly.

"Now that we know the setting of the confession, we have another thing to discuss," he said in a rather serious tone.

"And what's that?" Doramen asked.

" _When_ are you going to confess?"

Doramen looked down thoughtfully.

"After dark on Friday," he said.

Doralien nodded in approval.

"That's a good idea. Today's Wednesday, so you have two days to prepare," he said.

Doramen smiled warmly at his best friend.

"Thanks for the advice. I'm honestly kinda excited to tell Doraemon how I feel. It'll be nice to get it off my chest," he said.

"No problem, pal. That's what friends are for," Doralien remarked.

Doramen felt a burst of confidence flow through him.

"On Friday after the sun goes down, I'm gonna take Doraemon to the park and tell him how much I love him!"

"Yeah! You got this, buddy!" Doralien cheered encouragingly.

Doramen's warm smile turned into a huge grin.

"Wait till Doraemon hears how much he means to me!"

Friday, 8:30 PM

Doramen walked up to Doraemon's house. His heart pounded nervously as he approached the front door. He knocked rather loudly.

"Come in!" Doraemon called from inside.

Doramen took a deep breath and walked inside. He walked into the living room where Doraemon was and sat down on the floor.

"H-hey Doraemon…," he greeted shyly.

"Hi Doramen!" Doraemon replied cheerfully.

"Um...D-Doraemon… I have a question to ask you…"

"Yeah?"

"D-d-do you wanna maybe….h-hang out in the park with me…?"

"Sure! I'd love to hang out in the park!"

Doramen felt a wave of relief wash over him. Doraemon was gonna go with him!

"What time do you want to meet?" Doraemon asked, bringing Doramen out of his thoughts.

"Err...well, I was kinda hoping we could go right now…," Doramen answered shyly.

"Oh, okay! Sounds great!"

"Yay!"

The two robot cats stood up and exited the house in unison.

"So Doramen, is there anything in particular you wanted to do?" Doraemon asked as they walked down the street.

"I was hoping maybe we could sit down by the lake and just…. hang out," Doramen replied, trying not to let his nervousness show.

"Oh yeah, I completely forgot about the little lake in the middle of the park! That sounds like a great idea!" Doraemon said cheerfully.

Doramen felt a small amount of his nervousness fade away. He started imagining how the rest of the night would go. His face went red at the thought of being in a relationship with Doraemon.

 _This is gonna be great~!_

Doramen's confidence began to ebb away as he and Doraemon arrived at the park. He felt his nervousness creeping back.

"You ready?" Doramen asked.

"Yeah, I'm very ready!" Doraemon replied.

Doramen then proceeded to lead Doraemon through the park and to the lake. He didn't even realize that he held Doraemon's paw the whole way. Doraemon giggled at Doramen's seemingly gentlemanly behavior. He had no idea that Doramen had done it because he loved him.

The pair sat down in the cool grass and looked over the lake. The moonlight reflected beautifully on the lake's surface.

"Wow, it's so pretty~," Doraemon said in awe.

Doramen nodded in agreement.

"Yep, it sure is."

He glanced at Doraemon, his heart pounding nervously. A voice in the back of his mind told him to hurry up and confess, but he ignored it. These things take time, he thought to himself.

For a while the two sat there in silence, staring out at the water. Doramen was thinking about when he should confess. Doraemon appeared to be getting bored, Doramen knew he needed to act fast before he left. A shaky breath escaped him.

 _You can do this, Doramen! It's time to be a man and tell Doraemon how you feel. He won't reject you, he won't reject you, he won't reject you, he won't reject you….. GET IT OVER WITH AND DO IT!_

Doramen turned to Doraemon, so nervous he was trembling. Doraemon gazed at him curiously.

"D-D-Doraemon… There's something I need to tell you…," he said, trying his hardest to not let his nervousness show in his voice.

"What is it?" Doraemon asked.

Doramen hesitated, his nervousness becoming stronger than ever.

 _YOU CAN DO THIS! STOP BEING A WIMP! TELL HIM, TELL HIM, TELL HIM, TELL HIM, TELL HIM!_

He took a slow, deep breath, trying to relax. His dark eyes stared deep into Doraemon's.

"Doraemon…," he began.

"Yes, Doramen?" Doraemon asked softly.

"You have made the last two and a half months of my life a roller coaster. I haven't been able to get you out of my mind. Your adorable face is burned into my eyes so that every time I close them, I see you. Everything about you is perfect. You're the best friend I've ever had…," Doramen gushed, feeling his nervousness fade as the words spilled out of him.

Doraemon said nothing, staring at Doramen with wide eyes.

"I've never met someone quite like you before… You're so positive, always looking at the bright side of things. Your voice is like an angel choir, and your eyes sparkle like diamonds. It would be a lie to say I like you…"

Doraemon's gaze betrayed confusion. Doramen realized that the yellow robot cat still didn't know what was going on. Doramen looked down at the ground.

"...because I love you. You make me feel all warm inside whenever you're near me, and you make my heart ache whenever you leave my sight. I-I love you, Doraemon… I love you more than a friend… I...I love you like a boyfriend…"

Doraemon stared at Doramen in shock, blushing darkly. He obviously was not prepared for Doramen to say that. Doramen was still looking down, afraid to look at Doraemon's face.

Doraemon put a paw on Doramen's shoulder. The red robot cat looked up at Doraemon, his heart pounding with fear.

"Doramen, I had no idea you felt that way… But I'm proud of you for telling me. I know it must have been very hard for you," Doraemon said.

Doramen nodded.

"I-it was…"

His vision blurred as more tears filled his eyes.

"A-a-are you gonna reject me because I'm gay…? I-I understand if you do…"

Doraemon smiled warmly.

"Doramen, I don't care that you're gay. Your speech doesn't mean any less to me just because you're also a boy."

A small smile came to Doramen's face.

"You're too nice to me…," he murmured, looking away shyly.

Doraemon giggled softly.

"Isn't that a good thing? I mean, you're super nice to me. It would only be fair if I was super nice to you too."

Doramen's smile grew. He looked back into Doraemon's eyes.

 _This is it._

"Doraemon? Can I ask you something..?"

"Of course! Ask me anything!"

Doramen got down on one knee and gazed up at Doraemon like he was about to propose.

"W-will you be my boyfriend…?"

Doraemon's blush darkened. He chuckled softly and smiled.

"I'd love to be your boyfriend, Doramen."

Doramen thought he was going to pass out. He could barely believe his ears. Doraemon had accepted him! Pure happiness swept through him.

He pulled Doraemon into a tight embrace and began to cry. Doraemon became alarmed when he felt warm tears on his shoulder.

"Doramen, are you okay?" he asked frantically.

"You have no idea how happy I am!" Doramen replied, continuing to cry into his new lover's shoulder.

Doraemon rubbed Doramen's back comfortingly. Once he calmed down, the two discussed what they should do next.

"I really wanna go tell Doralien the news!" Doramen exclaimed.

"Okay, we can do that," Doraemon said.

The two held paws all the way to Doralien's house. By the time they got there, Doramen was bursting with enthusiasm. He rang the doorbell multiple times. When Doralien answered the door, he immediately looked confused.

"Hey guys, what's up?" he greeted slowly, obviously having forgetten about his conversation with Doramen on Wednesday.

"We have great news!" Doramen announced. "And no, it can't wait until Monday!"

Doralien chuckled.

"Well you sure look excited. What's the big announcement?" he asked.

Doramen looked at Doraemon, who nodded. He wanted Doramen to give the announcement since he was clearly more excited about it.

"Doraemon and I are a couple now!" Doramen cried, jumping up and down like a child on their birthday.

Doralien's mouth twitched strangely for a moment, as if he couldn't decide on a facial expression. He smiled widely as if nothing had happened.

"That's awesome, guys! I'm so happy for you!" he beamed.

He pulled Doramen into a brief, tight hug. He then turned to Doraemon and smiled at him.

"Congratulations, Doraemon. You're with a one-of-a-kind cat."


	9. The Picnic

Chapter 9: The Picnic

Doramen sighed happily. He was looking out an open window in his house. A cool breeze was blowing on his face.

 _Man...it's a beautiful day today…_

The sun was shining brightly down on the neighborhood, and birds could be heard chirping all around. Doramen had to admit, this was the nicest day the town has had in awhile. He wanted to take advantage of the nice weather, but he didn't know how.

 _I wonder if Doraemon would want to do anything with me…_

Doramen tore his gaze away from outside and glanced at the front door. He wondered if he should go to his boyfriend's house and ask him if he wanted to do anything. His heart ached with longing at the thought of spending time with Doraemon.

 _You know what? I'm gonna go ask him!_

He raced out the front door and went to Doraemon's house. His tail wagged happily as he knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Doraemon called from inside.

Doramen went inside and walked up to his boyfriend, who was sitting on the couch in the living room.

"Hey Doramen! What's up?"

"I-I wanted to ask you something…"

"What?"

Doramen's happiness was replaced with shyness and nervousness.

 _What if he says no..?_

The red robot cat forced himself to push his fears to the side. He told himself that the chances of Doraemon saying no were low.

"Well...since it's a beautiful day and all…," he began.

"Uh huh.."

"I was wondering if you wanted to...I don't know...go out and do something together..?"

Doraemon stared at him.

"You mean you wanna go on a date?" he asked.

Doramen blushed darkly.

"N-no! I just wanted to hang out!"

"Oh, okay. I'm perfectly happy with hanging out," Doraemon said with a smile.

"I'm glad," Doramen replied.

"Do you have anything in particular you want to do?"

"Not really...I was hoping you'd have an idea…"

Doraemon put a paw on his chin thoughtfully.

"How about we have a picnic?" he suggested.

"That's a great idea!"

 _Why didn't_ I _think of that?_ Doramen thought crossly.

"Should we start packing now?" Doraemon asked.

"Yes," Doramen answered.

The couple then ran off and started gathering up supplies for the picnic. Doramen grabbed the food and drinks, while Doraemon grabbed a blanket to sit on, a picnic basket, and some other things he thought they may need. Once they got everything, they shoved it all into the picnic basket.

"Where do you wanna have the picnic at?" Doramen asked as he looked down at the basket.

"The park of course!" Doraemon answered.

"Got it."

The two robot cats left the house and made their way to the park downtown. Once they arrived, Doramen searched for a nice spot away from other people to have the picnic. Doraemon trusted him to pick a good place.

Eventually Doramen found a small hill with no other people in sight. A cool breeze was blowing, making the grass sway a little. Doraemon thought it was perfect.

He got out the blanket and spread it across the grass. Doramen grabbed some rocks and put them on each corner of the blanket so it wouldn't blow away. The two robot cats sat down side by side.

Doraemon took out all the food and spread it out across the blanket. He chuckled when Doramen licked his lips hungrily.

"So, we have rice cakes, yummy buns **(dorayaki)** , peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and...chicken wings," he said.

Doramen rubbed the back of his head sheepishly when Doraemon gave him a strange look.

"Why chicken wings and rice cakes?" Doraemon asked.

Doramen hesitated.

 _I forgot he doesn't know about that…_

"Well… chicken wings taste good…," he began.

"That's true," Doraemon remarked.

"And rice cakes are my alternative to yummy buns," Doramen mumbled quietly.

"Alternative?" Doraemon echoed. "I thought every robot cat liked yummy buns. It's, like, a trait of ours."

"Well, I'm severely allergic to them. I can't even put one in my mouth," Doramen explained sadly.

Doraemon flattened his ears.

"I'm so sorry, Doramen… I won't eat them around you…," he murmured.

"Nah, it's fine. I don't mind," Doramen replied casually.

"You sure?"

"I'm completely sure."

Doraemon sighed.

"If you say so."

He grabbed a couple yummy buns and started eating. Doramen glanced at him briefly before doing the same with the rice cakes. As he ate, Doramen decided to start up a conversation.

"So, how have you been..?" he asked shyly.

"I've been well. School has been kinda stressing me out lately though, will all the tests and everything," Doraemon answered.

"I hear ya. Tests are the worst."

"What about you? How have _you_ been?"

Doramen didn't really know how to respond to that.

"I can't complain," he answered vaguely.

"That's good. No bullies or anything bothering you?" Doraemon asked

"Nope."

Doraemon scooted closer to his boyfriend. He suddenly yearned to feel Doramen's soft fur against him. But he was too shy to actually lean against the red robot cat. Instead he just continued to sit there awkwardly.

Doramen was looking up at the sky. His heart was pounding as he thought about his future. Many questions were racing through his mind.

 _Are me and Doraemon gonna be happy together..? What if he breaks up with me…? Maybe...maybe we'll stay together… Will we start dating..? Or maybe even get married one day?_

Doraemon glanced over at Doramen and saw the big smile on his face.

"What are you thinking about, Doramen?" he asked teasingly.

"The future," Doramen answered.

Doraemon's smile grew into a smirk.

"I bet our relationship is gonna last a really long time," he said, putting a paw on Doramen's leg.

"Y-you think so..?" Doramen asked, blushing.

Doraemon didn't verbally respond. Instead he leaned over and hugged the red robot cat. Doramen blushed darker and lovingly hugged back. The two hugged in silence for several seconds.

Doraemon didn't want to let go, but he knew he was going to have to eventually. Doramen didn't want to let go either. Mentally sighing, he slowly pulled away.

"I love you," Doraemon said suddenly.

Doramen was silent for a moment, caught off guard by Doraemon's words.

"I love you too," he finally said.

Doraemon stared at his lover absently, wishing he could gather the courage to cuddle.

Doramen suddenly jerked his gaze to the side and down to the grass. Doraemon perked up his ears and could hear tiny squeaking sounds. A mouse was crawling around in the grass.

Both robot cats watched it curiously. Doraemon twitched his ear as the mouse scurried off into the taller grass, out of sight. Neither of them commented on the sight.

Doramen felt the urge to cuddle with Doraemon. He scooted closer to his lover, but didn't make any physical contact. His heart pounding nervously, looked up and watched the white, puffy clouds float by in the sky.

Doraemon was honestly starting to get a little tired of sitting in the grass. He kinda wanted to go back home. His ears drooped slightly at the thought of curling up in his comfy bed at home and taking a nap.

 _I can stay for a little longer… After all, Doramen doesn't look ready to leave at all._

Doraemon shyly scooted closer to Doramen, who wasn't paying attention. Their bodies were almost touching at this point. Doraemon glanced over at Doramen and realized he was so close to the red robot cat that he could see the fur all over his body. He looked at the red robot cat's face. His mind started to wonder as he did so.

 _He looks so peaceful, like nothing bad has ever happened to him… I wonder if he ever thinks about me… Considering_ _the fact that he has a huge crush on me, he probably thinks about me all the_ _time… Is he thinking about me right now..?_

Doraemon sighed. He decided to be brave and leaned his head on Doramen's shoulder. Doramen tensed up, clearly not expecting Doraemon to lean on him. He smiled warmly though and let Doraemon stay there.

Doraemon was still surprised at how warm and soft Doramen's fur was. He wished all robot cats had fur like Doramen's. Sighing happily, he wrapped his arms around Doramen's belly. Doramen closed his eyes peacefully, not daring to move in fear of disturbing his lover.

Doraemon grabbed a sandwich and munched on it, still clinging onto Doramen. He suddenly felt bad, and grabbed the last chicken wing. He held it up to Doramen's face. It took Doramen a moment to even notice it. He glanced down at Doraemon before taking the chicken wing and eating it.

Curiously, Doraemon watched him scarf down the snack. There wasn't a single scrap of meat left on the bone when he was finished. Doraemon's gaze followed his paw as he put the bone in the pocket on his belly.

They ended up picking a spot where they weren't any trash cans nearby, so they had to improvise. They decided to put their trash in their pockets and dispose of it at home.

Doraemon decided it would be weird to randomly give Doramen more food, and looked up at the sky. As time went on, he started to feel sleepy. His yearn to go home became stronger as his eyes grew heavy. He decided he better tell Doramen he wanted to go home before he fell asleep.

"Hey Doramen?"

Doramen looked down at him.

"Yes, Doraemon?"

"I-I kinda wanna go home…"

"Go home? Okay. We've been sitting out here for quite a while anyways."

Doramen stood up, forcing Doraemon to pull away so he didn't fall over. Doraemon also stood up, grabbing the picnic basket as he did so. Together the two packed up their things and made their way back home.

Doramen lovingly held Doraemon's paw as the two walked home. Despite being tired, Doraemon wished they could have stayed in the park all day. But they would have gotten in trouble for sleeping in the park.

Doraemon felt a pang of sadness as the intersection where he and Doramen part ways came into sight. He didn't want to leave Doramen, and he could tell the red robot cat felt the same way. Doramen tightened his grip on Doraemon's paw as the two came to a stop at the intersection.

"Well...I-I guess this is goodbye for now…," Doraemon said, trying to ignore the aching in his heart.

"Y-yeah….," Doramen replied, not sounding any happier.

"We'll meet again tomorrow, I promise…"

"O-okay… See you then…"

The two continued to hold paws for several seconds. Neither of them wanted to gather the courage to let go and leave. Eventually Doraemon yanked his paw away and ran off towards his house. He knew it was the only way they'd be able to part ways.

Doramen sighed and went to his own home. He wished he could spend all day and all night with Doraemon.

 _Well, I got to spend quite a while with him. It was so nice feeling him hugging me~..._

He decided to just relax and watch TV when he got back home. His thoughts were filled with Doraemon, and dreams of the future.

 _I wonder if we'll ever get past the dating phase~..._


	10. Sharing is Caring

**(Warning: this A/N is super fricking long)**

 **Edit 8/9/18**

 **Looking back at this chapter, it's extremely boring, pointless, and cliche. I feel bad for giving people this pile of crap after being on hiatus for so long. No wonder this chapter has one of the lowest view counts. To make up for my mistake, I decided to rewrite this. It has a similar plot, but it actually makes kind of sense. I tried to actually make it entertaining so… enjoy!**

 **xxxxx**

 **Holy cow, it's been a LONG time since this story got a new chapter XD So sorry about the wait, I kinda lost interest in this fic for a while. But I'm back now! ALSO, this story has gone through lots of rewriting! Every chapter has been changed; some by a little, some by a lot, and some entirely. Chapters 2 and 5 have been completely rewritten so you might wanna check that out if you're a fan of this story. Some more subtle changes that affected every applicable chapter include:**

 **-Doramen now speaking English**

 **-Doralien's minor design change**

 **-Chuzzy and the Club of Nations being written out entirely because I thought they were unnecessary to the plot**

 **-and just general scene rewrites to make them sound better and to remove cringe**

 **You also may notice that some chapters are gone. Yes, I deleted some that were either too cringey, no longer canon, or scenes that don't need to be that long. I've basically been spending a lot more time updating old chapters than working on new ones. But now that the old ones have been redone, I can start working on new ones more! Woohoo!**

 **Alright, enough of my blabbering. Enjoy the new chapter c:**

* * *

Chapter 10: Sharing is Caring

Doramen knocked on the door to Doraemon's house and patiently waited for an answer. His answer came quickly, with Doraemon opening the door in just a few seconds.

"Doramen! Glad you could make it! Please come in," Doraemon greeted enthusiastically, stepping back so Doramen could come inside.

Doramen stared at him in confusion.

"Why would I come inside? I thought we were going out to eat," he said.

"We are! Just… not right now," Doraemon replied with a big, awkward grin.

Doramen shrugged and came inside. He sat down in a recliner in the living room and waited for Doraemon to announce it was time to leave. Doraemon sat down on the couch and stared off into space. He didn't make eye contact with Doramen or try to strike up a conversation.

 _Doraemon's acting weird. Does he have some kind of plan?_ Doramen wondered, looking over at his lover.

A few minutes passed of nothing happening when there was suddenly a knock at the door.

"I'll get it!" Doraemon announced loudly, jumping to his feet and running to the door before Doramen could even react.

Doramen stayed where he was and listened as Doraemon opened the door. To his surprise, Doraemon greeted the person with the same enthusiasm as he did to Doramen and invited them in. The stranger must've accepted, because Doramen could hear two pairs of footsteps approaching. He looked over at Doraemon, his jaw dropping when he saw who he let in.

"Doramen, you remember my sister Dorami, right?" Doraemon asked, gesturing to Dorami.

Doramen was silent for a moment.

 _Why is_ she _here? I thought this was just gonna be the two of us!_

"Uhh, y-yeah, I remember her," he said.

"Good, because I'm coming with you," Dorami said with a big smile.

Doramen's eyes widened in shock. He looked at Doraemon, silently asking for an explanation.

"I was hoping the three of us could all spend time together," Doraemon mumbled, feeling uncomfortable after seeing Doramen's reaction.

"Did she know about this?" Doramen asked, pointing to Dorami.

"Yes, she did," Doraemon answered.

"Why didn't you tell _me_ then?"

"I wanted to surprise you. I'm sorry you don't want to do this…"

Doramen was starting to feel guilty.

 _I shouldn't have reacted so strongly like that…_

"No no, it's fine! I'm totally fine with Dorami coming!" he said, although it wasn't entirely true.

He didn't mind her company, but he would've preferred to go out to lunch with just Doraemon. He'd rather spend time with Dorami by hanging out at school or something.

"Alright, good. I think this will be fun!" Doraemon said optimistically.

Dorami nodded in agreement, giving her brother a big smile.

"Now that Dorami's here, are we gonna leave?" Doramen asked, glancing at her.

"Yep," Doraemon answered, nodding.

He pulled out his Anywhere Door **(Dokodemo Door)** and told it the name of a local café. Doramen tried not to show his disappointment as he followed Doraemon and Dorami through the door. He was hoping they'd eat at an actual restaurant, or at least a place he'd been to before, but decided there was no point in complaining.

Like a fast food place, the three robot cats had to order their food right away and then wait for someone to bring it to them. Also like fast food, the café's menu wasn't very varied. It had a few burgers and subs, but that was pretty much it.

After Doraemon, Dorami, and Doramen ordered their food, they chose a table outside to eat at. Doraemon took a seat first, and immediately found himself squished between Doramen and Dorami. The two stared at each other, surprised they had both done the same thing.

"Why are you sitting so close to my brother?" Dorami asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Oh I don't know, maybe because he's my boyfriend!" Doramen hissed as he scooted even closer.

The two gave each other evil looks for a moment before Doramen finally looked down at the table and broke eye contact. Doraemon looked back and forth at them, confused.

"Why are you arguing? There's nothing wrong with you both sitting beside me," he said.

When Doramen remained silent, Dorami decided to answer.

"I don't trust him," she replied angrily.

Doramen stared at her in shock, but was cut off before he could speak.

"Doramen? I think he's perfectly trustworthy. What makes you think you can't trust him?" Doraemon asked in a genuinely curious tone.

"I don't trust him not to make a move on you," Dorami answered as she glowered at Doramen, who sighed.

"Come on, I'm not a pervert. I would never touch or grab Doraemon like that if he didn't want me to, especially in public. If I was the kind of guy who does gross stuff like that, I think he would've dumped me by now," he said in an effort to defend himself.

"If Doramen ever did something inappropriate like that, I would've left him in a heartbeat. I know you love me, Dorami, and you care about me, but I know what I'm doing," Doraemon explained, hoping Dorami would understand.

Dorami sighed a little and stirred her drink.

"I believe you, Big Brother..."

She looked up and glared daggers at Doramen.

"...but I'm watching you, _Doramen_. You better make Doraemon happy," she hissed.

"You'll see how nice he is once you get to know him better," Doraemon told her, trying to make the conversation positive.

Dorami simply nodded and looked back down at her drink.

…

Doramen couldn't have been happier when everyone's food came. At this point the tension had melted away and everyone was in a good mood, so the food's arrival only made everyone even happier.

Doramen's belly growled as the waiter handed him his food. He looked over at Doraemon and Dorami, curiously eyeing their meals. The two looked just as hungry as he did.

Without a word, Doraemon started eating as soon as the waiter left. Doramen and Dorami glanced at each other for a moment before doing the same. A soft, cool breeze blew through the area, making the three robot cats feel even better.

As he ate, Doramen tried not to make eye contact with Dorami. He didn't want to do anything to make her mad at him. Although he tried not to let stereotypes and such be the judge, he hadn't expected her to be so… _threatening_. He thought she would be super friendly and cheerful like Doraemon was, and she really was at first. He tried to tell himself she was just protective of her brother, and she didn't hate him. After all, he'd be skeptical too if he was in her place. He just hoped she'd learn to like him as time went on.

"Ugh! I can't get this stupid packet of ketchup to open!" Doraemon suddenly groaned, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"Let _me_ try!" Doramen offered, holding out his paw to Doraemon.

His eyes widened when he realized Dorami did the _exact same thing_ at the _exact same time_. He stared at her, and she stared back.

"Umm, I'm not sure whose offer to take," Doraemon said, glancing back and forth at them.

" _Mine_!" Doramen and Dorami replied in unison.

Doraemon only became more confused than he already was and decided to stay quiet. Dorami, on the other hand, suddenly grabbed the ketchup packet and tried to open it.

"Hey, you can't just take it!" Doramen exclaimed in a somewhat immature manner.

Desperately wanting to make Doraemon happy by helping him out, he reached across the table and snatched the ketchup packet from Dorami.

"Gimme that back!" Dorami hissed, reaching across the table and grabbing the packet.

Doramen still had a grip on it, resulting in a tug of war that Doraemon simply watched in horror. Dorami and Doramen tugged back and forth with neither letting go, until Doramen made a poor decision. He grabbed the middle of the packet to get a better grip, resulting in it exploding from the pressure. Ketchup went all over the table, and unfortunately a little got on Doraemon.

Doraemon, Dorami, and Doramen sat there in shock for what seemed like forever, staring at the puddle of ketchup in the middle of the table. Eventually, Dorami had enough and pulled out her Anywhere Door, promptly going home without even acknowledging the two robot cats watching her. Doramen looked at Doraemon, waiting for him to say something. The yellow robot cat stood up and put his remaining food in his pocket.

"I had no idea you two would be so immature," he said. "I'll remember that the next time I want us all to spend time together."

Doramen was silent, too guilty to say anything. Doraemon pulled out his Anywhere Dood and opened it, walking into his house. He gave Doramen a weak smile before closing the door.


	11. Valentine's Day

Chapter 11: Valentine's Day

Doramen paced back and forth restlessly. His mind was racing with thoughts fueled by anxiety.

 _What do I do, what do I do? The big day's tomorrow! I'm running out of time! I can't do nothing and disappoint Doraemon!_

He had never been so stressed about a holiday in his life. Before he got with Doraemon, he hadn't cared less about Valentine's Day. It had seemed like a pointless holiday to him. Recently he realized that it would probably make Doraemon very happy if he got something for him. He didn't know if Doraemon celebrated Valentine's Day, but he decided to participate in it just in case.

 _What does Doraemon like..? I guess I could get him some yummy buns_ _ **(dorayaki)**_ _, but what else? That won't be enough! This is a holiday where you show someone how much you love them! What could I get Doraemon to show him how much I love him..?_

His anxiety worsened. Whatever he decided to get Doraemon, he had to make sure he could get it before tomorrow. It would be humiliating to have to temporarily leave school or arrive late so he could pick up a gift. That could also make Doraemon suspicious. If he already had the presents, then Doraemon wouldn't know what to expect.

Sighing loudly, he sat down on the couch. School had already ended, so he had the rest of the day to make his decision. He stared down at the floor and thought hard.

 _What if I got him flowers? He_ has _to like flowers, right? They're so pretty, and there's so many kinds. He's bound to like_ some _kind of flower. But what if I get him a kind he doesn't like, or one that he's allergic to?_

He stood back up.

 _There's bound to be a store in town that sells flowers. I'll see if I can find any that people aren't usually allergic to._

Feeling a little more confident, he left his house and began his search for some flowers. He decided to try the local supermarket first, since it always changed its products to match an upcoming holiday. It was a bit of a walk, so he used his Anywhere Door **(Dokodemo Door)** to save time in case he was out of luck.

Upon entering the store, he was greeted with lots and lots of Valentine's Day-themed baskets of candy and stuffed animals. His hopes of finding flowers were raised.

 _There_ has _to be flowers in here. There's so much Valentine's Day stuff just by the entrance!_

He started wandering, hoping that he wouldn't have to search everywhere. Luck ended up being on his side. In just a few minutes, he was able to find a huge section of the supermarket dedicated to sell bouquets of fresh flowers.

As he browsed his options, he started to become nervous again. How was he going to choose from such a large selection? Most of the flowers he saw were foreign to him. He wondered if Doraemon knew about any of them.

Of the unfamiliar flowers, many of them were quite pretty. He tried to ignore them as best he could. He didn't want to buy Doraemon flowers he'd never seen before just because he thought they looked nice.

 _I need to get him flowers that I think_ he'll _like. This isn't about me!_

A particular bouquet suddenly caught his eye. It was a mix of three types of flowers: orange roses, red carnations, and a blue one unfamiliar to him. He gently took it off the shelf and looked for the price tag. His heart leaped when he not only saw that he could afford it with the change he had with him, but also that it was new.

 _Yes, I can afford it! Thank goodness! I can't believe I forgot my credit card at home though… Someone probably would've bought this if I hadn't come when I did._

Tail wagging, he took the bouquet to the cashier nearby. He immediately asked what the third flower was.

"Oh, that's a violet. It's very popular during this time of year. They say it symbolizes faith and affection," the cashier explained.

Doramen suddenly felt excited to show Doraemon his flowers.

"Thanks! I'd like to buy the bouquet then," he said.

"You got it, little guy," the cashier responded as she rung it up.

Doramen was too happy to get offended at the term "little guy". After paying for his flowers, he left the supermarket. Instead of using his Anywhere Door, he decided to walk so he could stop by the yummy bun shack on his way home. He bought a dozen of the highest quality yummy buns they had.

When he got home, he placed all of Doraemon's gifts on his kitchen table. He stood beside the table and stared at the presents blankly, trying to think of how he'll give them to Doraemon.

 _It'll be awkward to give him his gifts at school, plus Doralien might see and then I'll never hear the end of it. Before school might be too early… I don't know if Doraemon is a morning person or not, so he might be grumpy if I go to his house that early. I also don't know when he leaves his house to go to school anyways. Maybe I could do it after school?_

An idea suddenly popped into his head. With proper timing, it could work out perfectly. All he had to do was make sure Doraemon went to school tomorrow, and that he left his house long before the bell rang.

...

 _Riiiiiing!_

Doramen nearly leaped out of his desk at the sound of the end-of-school-bell. As soon as the teacher dismissed the class, Doramen grabbed his things and rushed out of the classroom. He had to find Doraemon before he went home.

Breaking into a run, he made his way to the main campus area and frantically scanned the crowds of students. He quickly spotted a yellow robot cat. His heart pounding, he approached them as quickly as he could without bumping into someone or tripping.

The yellow robot cat just so happened to be Doraemon. He noticed Doramen coming up to him and smiled.

"Hey Doramen," he greeted.

Doramen had to catch his breath for a moment.

"Doraemon! I'm so glad I found you," he panted.

"Really? Why?"

"I… I want to walk you home."

Doraemon blushed a little.

"That's very kind of you."

Doramen wordlessly held out his paw. Doraemon took it, still blushing. The two robot cats made their way to Doraemon's house in silence.

As they walked, Doramen's nervousness started to creep back. He tried his best to ignore it. Doraemon would get suspicious if he started sweating or something like that.

After several minutes, Doraemon's house came into sight. Doramen's heart started to pound. He could hardly wait. He started walking faster without even noticing. Doraemon _did_ notice, however, and sped up as well to keep up.

They finally arrived. Doraemon turned to walk up to the front door and froze with a gasp. Right in front of the door was a big tray with a stack of yummy buns on top of it. Doraemon turned to Doramen.

"Did you do this?" he asked, his face lighting up.

Doramen simply nodded as he smiled. Doraemon jumped up and down and squealed happily.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he screamed, his voice echoing down the street.

Doramen's smile grew wider.

"Oh, that's not all," he murmured.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the bouquet. Without a word, he kneeled down and held the bundle of flowers up to his lover.

"For you."

Doraemon's eyes widened.

"For… for _me_?" he asked, as if to confirm he had heard Doramen correctly.

Doramen nodded.

"Yes, for you."

Doraemon stared at the flowers for the moment, his mind going blank. He shook his head to snap himself out of his trance and gently took the bouquet. He sniffed the flowers, smiling at how good they smelled.

"They're real flowers," Doraemon said.

"Indeed they are. I didn't want to get you those cheap fake ones. They wouldn't make you as happy as those," Doramen remarked.

Doraemon looked into Doramen's eyes for a moment, blushing. He shifted his gaze to the heap of yummy buns.

"You're too nice to me," he mumbled.

Doramen shrugged.

"This holiday is all about showing someone how much you love them," he said casually.

Doraemon suddenly flattened his ears. He looked back at Doramen, his smile gone.

"I'm sorry I didn't get you anything. I don't really celebrate this holiday," he said.

"It's okay," Doramen replied, putting a paw on his lover's shoulder comfortingly. "Now go enjoy those yummy buns. They're the highest quality I could find."

Doraemon's smile returned. He lovingly rubbed the top of Doramen's head and went to his yummy buns. He gingerly lifted the tray and dumped the treats into his pocket. After opening the front door and stepping inside, he turned to face Doramen.

"Thank you so much for the presents. I really appreciate it," he said.

"Anything for you, my dear," Doramen answered with a nod.

Doraemon blushed.

"I love you!" he blurted before slamming the door shut.

Doramen stared at the door for a moment.

"I love you too."


	12. On This Beautiful Night

Chapter 12: On This Beautiful Night

Doramen was so nervous he felt sick to his stomach. He put a paw on his heaving chest, not surprised when he felt rapid beating. Struggling to stay still, he looked around the campus in hopes of spotting Doraemon. He desperately wanted to avoid the yellow robot cat until school was over.

"Doramen!"

Doramen's entire body flinched at the sound of Doraemon's voice.

 _He's seen me!_

He had hoped that sitting somewhere else would help him out, but apparently not. The churning in his belly worsened as he watched Doraemon walk up to him and sit down.

"I'm glad I found you," Doraemon greeted.

He suddenly blushed and looked away.

"I actually need your help with something. I'm having trouble with this history assignment. Do you think you could help me out?" he asked, clearly shy.

Despite being more anxious than he has in his life, Doramen nodded. He couldn't bring himself to say no.

"Thank you so much, Doramen!" Doraemon rejoiced, scooting over so that he was beside his sweetheart.

He pulled out the assignment and set it on the table so that both of them could read it.

As Doramen read the directions, he suddenly started to feel uncomfortably hot. The air around them also started to feel hot, as if it was the middle of summer. He started to pant, taking in deep breaths in an attempt to cool off.

"Are you okay?" Doraemon asked.

"I… uhh…"

Doramen didn't know how to answer. His heart felt like it was going to explode. For a moment he wondered if he was overheating. Then it hit him. His stomach lurched.

"I have to go to the bathroom!" he suddenly announced, jumping to his feet and running off to the bathrooms.

Doraemon watched him go, still feeling concerned. He looked back down at his assignment, deciding it would be better to give his lover some space.

...

Doramen stared at his reflection in the mirror. He closed his eyes and splashed water onto his face. The sound of running water helped distract him from his racing thoughts. He opened his eyes, watching drops of cool water run down his face.

His legs were shaking so much he didn't want to go anywhere. His entire body felt weak and heavy. Drinking the water coming out of the sink in front of him was very tempting. It would ease the sharp stinging in his throat and wash out the tart taste in his mouth.

He groaned mentally when he suddenly heard footsteps approaching. He lowered his head and pretended to wash his paws.

"Doramen? You in here?"

Doraemon's soft voice made him feel worse.

"Yes, I'm in here," he answered.

His heart lurched when he heard his own voice. He sounded like he had been crying. He flattened his ears as Doraemon came up beside him.

"Hey, I just wanted to check on you. You've been gone for a while. Is everything okay?" Doraemon murmured, putting a paw on Doramen's shoulder.

Doramen shook his head. He really didn't want to give a verbal response.

"What happened?" Doraemon asked.

"I got sick," Doramen mumbled, looking down at the ground.

Doraemon's eyes widened.

"Oh, you poor thing! Come on, let's get you to the nurse," he ushered.

Doramen didn't complain. On weak legs, he shakily followed Doraemon to the nurse's office. Upon reporting the incident, he was ordered to go home. Doraemon was generous enough to offer to take him home, which he happily accepted.

His heart pounded as he walked down the sidewalk beside Doraemon. He still felt nervous being around his lover.

 _Should I ask him now?_

He glanced over at Doraemon. The yellow robot cat had his gaze fixed ahead. Before Doramen had much time to think about the situation, they arrived at his house.

"Thanks for walking me home," Doramen said, forcing a smile.

"Of course. Is there anything you need? Lunch doesn't end for another 15 minutes," Doraemon prompted.

Doramen felt himself shaking.

 _This is the perfect opportunity! But maybe now is bad timing… Ugh! Stop thinking of everything that could go wrong! Doraemon's never said no to a question like this before!_

"Actually, Doraemon… I think I know why I got sick," he said.

"Why?" Doraemon asked curiously.

"I was really nervous."

Doraemon suddenly looked a little angry.

"This is about me, isn't it? You know you don't have to be nervous around me!"

Doramen sighed.

"I know, but I can't help it… It's only because I love you."

"What are you nervous about?" Doraemon asked teasingly, crossing his arms and smiling.

"I want to ask you something," Doramen muttered, looking down at the ground.

Doraemon's smile faded a little.

"What is it? You can ask me anything."

There was a long silence. Finally, Doramen looked back up into Doraemon's eyes.

"Will you go out with me?"

Doraemon opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He was caught off guard by the question.

"Well Doramen, I… err… This is so sudden…"

Doramen looked away.

"I'm sorry. We've already been together for a few months, I just thought it would be nice to actually go out on a date as couples do…," he murmured awkwardly.

"Doramen, I'd love to go on a date with you," Doraemon said, smiling warmly.

Doramen perked up.

"You mean it?" he asked as a grin grew on his face.

"Of course I mean it!"

Doraemon pulled Doramen into a hug as he spoke. Doramen hugged back, his tail wagging.

"I'm so happy!" he exclaimed.

"Come by my house Friday night. We'll discuss our plans then," Doraemon suddenly announced.

"I'll come by before the sun goes down," Doramen remarked.

His response was rather vague, but Doraemon didn't mind. He knew he could count on Doramen for coming.

...

Doraemon nearly leaped out of his fur when he heard his doorbell ring. He knew it had to be Doramen, and ran to the door. His assumption was correct; Doramen stood on the porch with an ear-to-ear smile on his face.

"I'm so glad you came. Come in, we can talk about our date plans," Doraemon said, gesturing for Doramen to come inside.

"Actually, I have another idea," Doramen remarked, not moving.

"Oh, what's that?" Doraemon asked.

"I already know what I want to do for our date."

Doraemon twitched his ear curiously.

"What do you want to do?" he asked.

"It's a surprise," Doramen answered, his smile growing.

He held out his paw before Doraemon could respond.

"Come, let's go," he said.

Doraemon accepted the gesture without hesitation. Curiosity nagged in the back of his mind as Doramen led him down the street. He honestly had no idea where Doramen was taking him, but he was eager to find out.

After a few minutes, a familiar building came into view. Doraemon recognized it as one of the most popular restaurants in town. It was a steakhouse. He'd never gotten food from there, but he heard that it was delicious.

"Are we going to that restaurant?" he asked, pointing to the brown building.

"Indeed we are," Doramen answered cheerfully.

The two robot cats entered the restaurant and got a table. Doraemon felt a little nervous. There was a lot of other people. He tried to ignore his nerves and focus on choosing a meal to order.

The menu was filled with various meats, burgers, and seafood. There was a breakfast section, which had mostly omelets and various combinations of bacon, sausage, and pancakes. It was pretty typical for the steakhouses that Doraemon had been to in the past. He read through the menu multiple times, trying to decide.

 _I really want to get the pancakes! They look so delicious. Doramen might laugh at me though for eating a typical breakfast food for dinner. Then again, he really loves me, so maybe he'll understand…_

He decided he _was_ going to get the pancakes, and put his menu down. Doramen was staring off into space, sipping on the water he ordered. Doraemon decided to break the awkward silence.

"What are you gonna get?" he asked.

Doramen looked over at him, smiling.

"I'm gonna get the steak," he answered.

"I didn't know you liked steak," Doraemon said.

"It's one of my favorite foods. I order it just about every time I come here."

Doraemon nodded, taking a mental note of that. He and Doramen chatted until their waitress came to take their orders. To his relief, Doramen didn't comment on his meal choice.

"How long do you think it'll take for our food to cook?" Doramen asked once the waitress left.

"I don't know, but hopefully not too long," Doraemon replied, shrugging.

Doramen didn't say anything back. He looked around at the other tables curiously.

"There's a lot of people here," he said.

"Yeah, it's busy."

Suddenly feeling awkward, Doramen grabbed the straw in his drink and stirred it, watching the ice spin around. Doraemon looked down at the table, trying to think of something they could talk about.

 _We're supposed to be on a date, and all we've done is sit here awkwardly mumbling to each other! What's something Doramen would be comfortable talking about..?_

"So...umm… what do you wanna do after this?" he asked.

Doramen's mouth stretched into a weird half-smile. Doraemon could tell he was holding back a grin.

"I know what I want to do, but you'll have to wait and see," Doramen said.

"Fair enough," Doraemon replied. "I don't wanna stay out all night, though."

Doramen's smile became warm.

"Don't worry about that. You can go home whenever you feel like it."

Doraemon felt reassured by that. He was glad Doramen was being flexible and understanding.

"Thanks," he said.

"Of course! I want you to be happy the whole time we're out here," Doramen replied, wagging his tail.

Doraemon blushed and looked away, too shy to respond. He still wasn't used to Doramen being so generous. When he looked back up, Doramen was playing with his drink again. He glanced at Doraemon, making eye contact. Doraemon heard him chuckle quietly as he looked back at his drink.

"What's so funny?" Doraemon asked.

Doramen smiled.

"Oh, nothing," he answered, stirring his water.

Doraemon was about to ask again when their food came. His mouth watered at the smell of the pancakes. He eagerly watched their waitress set the plate down in front of him. She set Doramen's food in front of him as well before leaving the two alone once again.

"This food sure smells good, huh?" Doraemon asked, looking over at Doramen.

Doramen was already getting his knife and fork out, licking his lips.

"It sure does. I bet it'll taste even better," he said.

Doraemon decided to leave him be, and unwrapped his own utensils from their weird paper-like wrapper. He sliced through the stack of three pancakes, his belly growling when a cloud of steam carried the warm, comforting scent right to his nose. After cutting up quite a bit of all three pancakes, he took the bottle of syrup that had come with his meal and poured. He wasn't a big fan of syrup, so he only poured enough to where you could taste it. His mouth watering even more, he jabbed his fork into the pile of syrup-covered slices and immediately stuck it in his mouth. The pancakes tasted absolutely amazing, as did the syrup.

Doraemon looked over at Doramen, only to see him already wolfing down his steak. He suddenly felt awkward and went back to his pancakes. The two robot cats eagerly ate their dinners. They didn't make much eye contact, and didn't say a single word to each other. For a while, they both forgot they were on a date.

Doramen ended up finishing first, and used the extra time to remember why he had come out to eat in the first place. He decided to strike up a conversation, hoping that Doraemon wouldn't get mad at him.

"How's your food?" he asked.

"It's delicious!" Doraemon answered, wiping the syrup off his lips.

Doramen immediately felt relieved, although he tried not to make it obvious.

"Good. I'm so glad you like it," he said with a smile.

Doraemon noticed Doramen's empty plate and chuckled.

"I'm guessing your food was good too," he remarked.

"Oh yes, I loved it," Doramen replied, nodding.

Doraemon looked back down at his own plate, studying the remaining bits of pancake.

"I'll be done soon, don't worry," he murmured, awkwardly munching on another forkful.

"No, take your time. There's no rush," Doramen insisted.

Doraemon relaxed a little and continued to eat. It didn't take long for him to get too full to keep going. There was still some pancake left, but he decided it wasn't worth it to try and finish it all.

Despite his protests, Doramen ended up paying for all the food. The two robot cats then left the restaurant, eager to move on.

"Well, where to now?" Doraemon asked, looking up at Doramen.

Doramen reached into his pocket and pulled out his Anywhere Door **(Dokodemo Door)**. He looked back at Doraemon, making eye contact.

"Somewhere amazing," he said quietly, putting his paw on the doorknob.

Doraemon was silent, curiously watching Doramen open the door. All he could see were a bunch of tree trunks stretching up beyond the top of the Anywhere Door. Doramen stepped through onto the other side and turned to face his lover.

"Come," he said, holding out his paw.

Doraemon stared into Doramen's eyes for a moment, then took the offering. He stepped through as well and stood beside Doramen. He looked around curiously, and was immediately shocked at what he saw.

There was a dirt path leading straight ahead, off into the distance. On each side of the path were tons of blooming dogwoods. Bright pink petals were all over the ground.

"This place is amazing!" Doraemon exclaimed, his eyes bright.

"I'm glad you like it," Doramen said with a smile.

"How did you find this place?"

"I did a little online research."

Doraemon suddenly pulled Doramen into a tight hug.

"Thank you for showing me this beautiful place!" he gushed.

Doramen chuckled.

"Oh, that's not all," he said.

Doraemon immediately let go and looked at him in shock.

"There's more!?" he demanded excitedly.

"Yep," Doramen answered with a nod.

"Show me, show me!"

"Follow me, then."

Doramen began walking down the dirt path. Doraemon came up beside him, eager to see what else was waiting for him. They walked for a bit, until the end of the trail came into sight.

Doraemon stopped dead in his tracks. At the end of the trail was another dogwood, but this one was much taller than all the other ones. It was also blooming.

"It's so beautiful!" he exclaimed.

"It sure is," Doramen said.

He glanced at Doraemon and walked over to the dogwood. Doraemon stayed where he was and watched him. Doramen looked up at all the branches above his head. He glanced behind him at Doraemon, grinned at him, and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a Hopter **(Takecopter/Bamboo Copter)** and put it on his head. Doraemon gasped when Doramen flew up into the dogwood and perched on a branch.

"What are you doing!?" he demanded, shocked.

"Come join me!" Doramen called, ignoring the question.

Doraemon ran up to the base of the tree and looked up at the red robot cat.

"I really don't think that's safe!" he shouted.

"Relax, the branches can hold us!" Doramen replied.

Doraemon hesitated before realizing that Doramen wasn't going to come back down. He sighed, put on a Hopter, and joined his lover on the branch.

"Look at this amazing view we get!" Doramen exclaimed, pointing out in front of them.

The two robot cats could perfectly see the night sky, along with shorter trees in the distance. Dozens of stars were shining brightly in the sky, along with the crescent moon.

"Wow…," Doraemon murmured in awe.

"It's such a great view," Doramen said, scooting a little closer to his lover.

The two robot cats looked out at their view for a while, admiring the scenery. Doramen leaned against the main part of the tree, and suddenly thought about something.

"Hey Doraemon, would you mind if I did a little… vandalism?" he asked.

Doraemon blinked at him, confused.

"Vandalism? Well, I guess it's fine as long as you don't hurt anyone or any _thing_ , including this tree."

Doramen flew back to the ground, and returned moments later with a rock with a pointed edge on it. Without even glancing at Doraemon, he started jabbing the rock into the main part of the tree.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Doraemon asked.

"You'll see," Doramen answered.

After a few moments, he stopped what he was doing and tossed the rock back onto the ground. He slid off the branch he was sitting on, using the Hopter to keep him at eye level with Doraemon. He pointed to his "vandalism", now that Doraemon could see it.

"What do you think?" he asked.

Doraemon couldn't help but blush. Doramen had used the rock to etch "Men x Mon" into the tree.

"I mean… that probably hurt the tree, but it's really sweet of you," Doraemon said.

Doramen sat back down on the branch, giving Doraemon a big smile.

"I'm glad you like it," he said.

"Don't do it again, though!" Doraemon said, playfully nudging Doramen's arm.

"I won't, I won't."

The two went back to looking out at the other trees. Several minutes of peaceful silence passed. During this time, Doraemon started to gradually scoot closer and closer to Doramen. By the time Doramen noticed, the two were almost touching.

"D-Doraemon… when did you get that close?" Doramen asked, blushing.

Doraemon simply giggled at him. Doramen assumed he was just being silly, and went back to looking at the trees. Several seconds passed before Doraemon broke the silence.

"How easily do you get mad at people?" he asked suddenly.

Doramen was silent for a moment, taken aback by the sudden question.

"It depends," he said.

"How easily would you get mad at _me_?"

"Pfft, you could kill someone and I'd probably still forgive you."

Doraemon turned so that his whole body was facing Doramen. He put a paw on Doramen's shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Doramen asked, also turning his body as he blushed a little.

"So, you'd pretty much never get upset with me no matter what I did?" Doraemon asked back, moving his paw until it was touching Doramen's collar.

Doramen nodded, blushing darker.

"Y-yeah," he said.

"Good, then you won't mind me doing _this_ …," Doraemon murmured in a semi-flirtatious tone, suddenly grabbing Doramen's collar.

Doramen's eyes widened, and his blushed darkened even more.

"Wh-what are you-"

His question was cut off when Doraemon suddenly pulled him forward. He thought for sure his life flashed before his eyes as his lips connected with Doraemon's. Paralyzed with shock, he couldn't even take his gaze off Doraemon's closed eyes.

They kissed for a few seconds, until poor Doramen couldn't take it anymore. He went completely limp, falling into Doraemon's lap. Doraemon giggled at him, but also felt sort of bad for making him pass out. He shook Doramen until he woke up. The red robot cat immediately sat up, clearly not fully awake yet.

"Doraemon, I had the craziest dream… I was sitting in a tree with you, and you grabbed my collar, and then-"

Doramen cut himself off when he came to his senses and realized he hadn't been dreaming. He blushed darkly, and his eyes widened as he realized that meant he and Doraemon had really kissed. Doraemon couldn't help but giggle at the look on his face.

"Y-you kissed me," Doramen mumbled, clearly still in shock.

"Yes I did," Doraemon said with a nod.

Doramen tried to comprehend that. Doraemon had _really_ kissed him. It wasn't some crazy dream he had, or a hallucination.

"F-for real?" he asked.

"Yep, for real," Doraemon replied.

Doramen rubbed the side of his head. He couldn't help but grin.

"I can't believe this," he murmured.

Doraemon smiled warmly. He was taken aback when Doramen suddenly hugged him.

"I love you so much," Doramen said.

Doraemon lovingly hugged back.

"I love you too," he murmured.

Doramen let go of his embrace, and looked into Doraemon's eyes. Doraemon looked back, his eyes shining. The two robot cats leaned in towards each other, and kissed once more.


	13. Musician

Chapter 13: Musician

Doramen was seated at the hangout table, suspiciously watching other students sitting at nearby tables. It seemed as though everyone in the entire school was super excited over something. Although he wasn't really into gossip and such, Doramen was really starting to get curious. He had no idea what was working people up, and he was honestly getting concerned that it was something he genuinely needed to know about, like an extra day off or something.

"Doramen, don't stare!"

Doraemon's angry tone pulled him back to reality. He suddenly realized that he'd been looking directly at a group of students who were talking amongst themselves nearby.

"S-sorry," he said, turning to face his lover.

Doraemon sighed and looked around for a moment.

"What do you think everyone's talking about?" he asked.

"It could be anything, really. Maybe a new movie came out," Doramen replied, shrugging.

"I don't know, a lot of people seem to be excited about it. Maybe that mean history teacher finally retired."

Doramen chuckled at that.

"I hate to burst your bubble, but I highly doubt she'd retire in the middle of the school year," he said.

Doraemon opened his mouth to reply, but stopped himself when he saw Doralien approaching.

"Look, here comes Doralien!" he said, nudging Doramen's arm.

Doramen felt a wave of relief when he saw his teal friend. He and Doraemon had already eaten their lunches, and neither of them had seen Doralien at all the entire lunch period.

 _Doralien is always getting to gossip. Surely he must know_ something _about this!_

Doralien set his tray full of food down on the table before taking a seat between his two friends, who were sitting across from each other.

"Where have you been, dude?" Doramen asked, unknowingly cutting off Doraemon as he was about to ask about the gossip.

"Sorry, we got in trouble in class so the teacher held us after the bell," Doralien replied, immediately shoving a yummy bun **(dorayaki)** in his mouth.

"Hey Doralien, I know you just got here and you haven't eaten lunch yet, but Doramen and I were wondering if you know what everyone is so excited about," Doraemon said.

"Oh, the school's getting a music class. A bunch of brand-new instruments came in this morning, and the school is supposedly letting students go play them to make sure they work," Doralien explained.

"'Music class'? That sounds pretty cool," Doraemon said.

"Do you know what kind of instruments there are?" Doramen asked.

Doralien shrugged.

"I have no idea," he said.

"Well whatever they are, I hope they're nice. I've heard a lot of people complaining about them not being able to play instruments here," Doraemon remarked.

Doramen was intrigued by the idea of a music class. He wanted to go see what instruments there were, but he was worried about there being tons of students crowded there.

 _I'll have to go after school,_ he thought. _Most of the students should be going home then, so I can check out the new instruments in peace. Hopefully, I also won't have to worry that much about getting caught by a friend and being made fun of…_

…

Doramen calmly rose to his feet as the final bell rang. He took his time stuffing his backpack into his pocket and exiting the classroom. To his delight, most of his classmates passed him. He walked calmly and slowly down the hallway and out into the main campus area. He slowed down, watching the huge masses of students make their way towards the entrance to the school.

 _Great, everyone's leaving! There shouldn't be hardly anyone messing with the new instruments._

He patiently waited a few minutes for more students to leave before making his way to the empty classroom that would soon be the music room. As he walked down the hallway, he could hear a guitar.

 _Guess I'm not going to be the only one. Whoever's playing that guitar is pretty good, actually,_ he thought.

Suddenly feeling shy, he peeked his head into the room. There were chairs and various cases of different sizes and shapes everywhere. The cases, of course, each contained a musical instrument, and most of them were on the floor, leaning against the chairs. As far as people go, there were only two students, both robot cats, and one teacher. One student was seated in a chair playing the guitar Doramen was hearing in the hallway, and the other was sitting a ways away cleaning a flute. The teacher was standing in the corner, watching the two students.

Doramen stepped into the room shyly and looked around, wondering what he should do first. Before he could decide, the teacher noticed him.

"Hello there," she greeted.

"H-hi," Doramen replied, nodding.

"What can I do for you?"

Doramen hesitated for a moment. He really didn't want to look through every single case.

"Do you have any string instruments?" he asked back.

"Yes, indeed. We have a bass, cello, and violin," the teacher answered.

Doramen's eyes lit up. He couldn't believe his ears.

"Wh-where is the violin?" he asked.

The teacher pointed to a case towards the back of the room that had been laid on a chair.

"Right there. Nobody's tried it yet, so I would appreciate it if you would," she said.

"I'd love to try it!" Doramen replied, before making his way over to the case.

Although he's too shy to admit it, he loved to play the violin. He learned to play it long before he came to the Robot Academy. It was the only instrument he could play, but he took a lot of pride in his skill. He was nowhere near a professional, but he could play a handful of songs. Just the sound of the violin comforted him.

He grabbed the case and sat down in the chair. Tail wagging, he opened the case. To his delight, there was in fact a violin sitting inside. It appeared to be in very good condition. Doramen gingerly took the violin out and set the empty case on the floor. He assumed the violin wasn't tuned, and he turned out to be right. He spent a few minutes tuning it to how he'd usually set it to before trying it out.

His heart fluttered when he felt the smooth wood of the violin under his chin. He rested the bow on the strings for a moment, thinking of what he could play. He decided he was too shy to play an actual song, so instead he'd come up with a tune as he went along.

Forcing himself to relax, he closed his eyes and started to play. The violin sounded very nice, as he expected. A smile grew on his face as the sounds of the violin filled his ears until it was all he could hear. He played a slow, soft tune that went on for a few minutes. Soon he felt completely at ease.

His smile faltered a little when he suddenly felt like he was being watched. He tried to ignore it, but it persisted. Still playing, he opened one eye. He jumped and immediately stopped playing when he saw Dorami standing in front of him.

"Uhh… h-hi!" he greeted awkwardly.

Dorami looked curious.

"I didn't know you played any instruments," she said.

"Well, this is the only one I can play…"

"So? It takes talent to play an instrument."

Doramen's eyes widened at that statement.

 _Did she just call me talented?_

"Y-you think so?" he asked.

"Well, yeah," Dorami replied, sitting down next to him.

"So, how long have you been playing?" she asked, not giving Doramen a chance to speak.

"A few years," Doramen answered.

"Any particular reason why you chose the violin to play?"

"I love the way it sounds."

"Does Doraemon know you play?"

"Not yet. I'm hoping I can surprise him whenever I decide to tell him."

Dorami nodded thoughtfully.

"Can you play some more?" she asked.

Doramen was taken aback by that.

 _Did she hit her head or something? I thought she didn't like me! Why is she being friendly towards me all of a sudden?_

He couldn't keep his feelings to himself.

"Why are you so interested in my violin playing? I thought you didn't like me," he said.

Dorami sighed.

"Doraemon keeps asking me to try and get along with you better," she replied.

"So you're only talking to me because Doraemon told you to."

"Pretty much, but I want to hear you play. I like the sound of the violin too."

Doramen figured there was no point in arguing. He put the violin back into position and resumed playing his made-up tune. Dorami watched him in silence. Her stare burned into the side of Doramen's head, but he forced himself to ignore it.

Doramen continued to play until the teacher said it was time to leave. As he put the violin back in its case, he noticed Dorami walking out the door.

 _I guess she really wasn't interested in actually spending time with me, like Doraemon probably would've preferred her to do._

After he put the violin away, he thanked the teacher for letting him play it and left. As he went back home, he couldn't stop thinking about Dorami saying she was genuinely interested in his violin playing. It made him wonder if she was starting to accept him. But, since it was the end of the school day and Dorami had already vanished, he couldn't say anything about it until at least tomorrow. All he could do for now was hope she doesn't tell Doraemon about his violin playing.


	14. The Werewolf Cream Incident

" **Werewolf Cream" is that gadget where you rub cream on your face and it makes you turn into a werewolf when you look at anything round. I don't know what it's called in other countries, sorry ^^;**

 **Also there will be minor violence in this chapter**

* * *

Chapter 14: The Werewolf Cream Incident

Doramen hummed to himself as he gingerly slid his dinner out of the oven. He set the piping hot pizza down on the counter and closed the oven door. His belly growled as he cut the pizza, warm steam floating right to his face. He put a couple slices on a plate, went to his living room, and plopped down on the couch. After finding a TV show to watch, he started eating.

About ten minutes passed when he suddenly felt something vibrating in his pocket. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the vibrating object, which turned out to be his cellphone.

 _Oh great, I bet it's Doralien sending me some weird Internet picture he found,_ he thought crossly as he opened the message.

His eyes widened when he saw that it was actually Doraemon.

" _Hey Doramen, you busy?_ " read the text.

" _I'm eating dinner. What's up?_ " Doramen texted back, suddenly feeling nervous.

 _It sounds like Doraemon might be wanting to hang out with me… I hope I didn't just ruin everything! He can wait until I'm done eating, right?_

A few minutes passed before Doraemon responded.

" _Oh, sorry if I'm bothering you. I was wondering if you wanted to hang out. I'm kinda bored,_ " he wrote.

Doramen looked down at his plate.

 _How long would it take me to eat..?_

" _Give me 20 minutes or so and I'll come over,_ " he texted.

" _Really? Awesome, can't wait!_ " Doraemon replied, adding a few heart emojis.

Doramen sent one back and then resumed eating.

…

Doramen rang the doorbell to Doraemon's house. Doraemon answered almost immediately, grinning.

"Hi!" he greeted cheerfully.

"Hey!" Doramen greeted back, smiling warmly.

He tried to step inside, but Doraemon wouldn't move.

"Uhh, Doraemon, I can't come inside if you're blocking the way," he said, confused.

Doraemon giggled.

"There's no reason for you to come inside. I already know what I want to do with you, and it _completely_ involves the outdoors," he said in a semi-creepy tone.

"Oh, what is it?"

"I want to take a walk with you in the woods and, I dunno, mess around or something."

Doramen was confused. That was the strangest thing he'd ever heard Doraemon say. Walking through the woods when it would be getting dark soon was one of the last things he wanted to do, but he also didn't want to disappoint Doraemon.

"That… sounds like a lot of fun!" he said half-heartedly.

Doraemon grinned.

"Great!" he exclaimed, grabbing Doramen's paw and practically dragging him down the street.

…

"So… umm, did you have any particular activity in mind?" Doramen asked as he forced his way through a bush.

"I know this might sound weird, but I want to mess around with some gadgets," Doraemon answered, glancing down at his pocket.

Doramen felt a weight lift off his shoulders. That actually sounded fun. He was thankful that Doraemon didn't suggest something that genuinely would've been weird or awkward.

"Okay, but which ones? I mean, we have a ton," he said.

Doraemon crossed his arms thoughtfully. While he was thinking, Doramen decided to quickly speak his mind.

"Also, by the way, why did you have to drag me out to the woods for this? Why couldn't you just have invited me over to your house or something?" he asked.

Doraemon answered practically the split second Doramen finished talking.

"Just in case we decide to play with a more… _dangerous_ gadget," he said.

 _But why would we mess with a gadget that could be dangerous? I don't want to risk getting Doraemon or myself hurt,_ Doramen thought, starting to become a little concerned.

He wondered if Doraemon was wanting to just mess with everything with reckless abandon in hopes of something "fun" coming out of it.

"I was sort of hoping we could play with something exciting," Doraemon continued.

"Define 'exciting'," Doramen said cautiously.

 _Is Doraemon going to pull out something that could cause serious damage? I didn't come here to get hurt!_ he thought anxiously as he watched Doraemon reach into his pocket.

Turns out Doramen was right about the gadget potentially causing serious damage. Doraemon pulled out a little tin of Werewolf Cream and proudly presented it to Doramen, who was immediately skeptical. Although he'd never actually seen the effects of the gadget in action, he had a basic idea of what happened.

"You sure about that?" he asked, taking a step back.

"It'll be fine! You worry too much," Doraemon insisted, scoffing.

He looked up at the sky and pointed to the sun.

"See? The sun's still out. I have something round I can look at," he said.

Doramen said nothing. He knew it was a lost cause to try and convince Doraemon it was a bad idea. His anxiety worsened as he watched Doraemon open the tin of Werewolf Cream.

 _I hope you've used that stuff before and you know what to expect, because I sure don't…,_ he thought, watching Doraemon rub some of the Werewolf Cream on his cheek.

Once the Werewolf Cream was rubbed in, Doraemon proceeded to look directly at the sun. He clearly didn't think about the consequences, because he immediately looked away and covered his eyes while wincing in pain. Doramen wasn't sure whether he should feel bad for his lover or not. He watched in silence, only wondering what would happen next.

"Wow, that was a bad idea…," Doraemon groaned as he rubbed his eyes.

He looked around him, blinking rapidly to get his eyes to adjust. Looking directly at the sun had temporarily messed up his vision to where he couldn't see a thing. As things slowly started to take shape again, his gaze couldn't help but lock on Doramen. The red robot cat's fur stood out against the mostly green environment behind him. The first part of Doramen that Doraemon could make out was his head. His _round_ , _circular_ , head.

By the time Doramen realized what had happened, Doraemon was already transforming. He backed away from the yellow robot cat, praying that he could control himself.

Only a few seconds passed before Doraemon was fully transformed. He stared right at Doramen, growling. Doramen was on the brink of panic. He had no idea what state of mind Doraemon had.

 _Does he still know it's me, or am I about to get eaten?_

Were-Doraemon stared for a moment longer before lunging. Doramen screamed like a little girl, and had no time to run away before he was tackled. He continued to let out panicked cries as Were-Doraemon bit his pocket, his now-sharp teeth cutting his belly a little. Were-Doraemon yanked Doramen's pocket off his belly and started chewing and ripping it to pieces. Doramen used this opportunity to get up and hide in some nearby bushes.

After Were-Doraemon shredded the pocket, he started looking around for Doramen. But, with nothing round to look at, he quickly started going back to normal. Doramen continued to hide, not daring to risk Doraemon getting "triggered" again by his round body parts.

Doraemon soon returned to normal. He looked around, confused.

"Doramen? Where did you go?" he asked.

"I'm in the bushes! I'm not gonna come out because you might transform again if you see me!" Doramen called, purposely rustling the bushes around him.

Although he'd never admit it, that attack had scared the crap out of him. He had to fight hard to stop his voice from shaking when he spoke. Doraemon looked down at the remains of Doramen's pocket, slowly realizing what he'd done.

"Oh my goodness! I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked, horrified at the thought of hurting his lover.

Doramen looked down at his belly. He was bleeding, but it wasn't bad. The cuts only stung a little.

"It's just some scratches, I'm fine!" he answered, honestly doubting that will reassure Doraemon.

Doraemon groaned in response.

"I can't believe I did this… This was a terrible idea…," he croaked.

Doramen honestly didn't know how to respond to that. He felt bad for Doraemon.

"This is all my fault! I hurt you and you don't have a pocket anymore!" Doraemon wailed.

"D-Doraemon, you're going to have to close your eyes so I can come out," Doramen said slowly.

He hoped it would comfort Doraemon if he hurried and got home so he could tend to his wounds.

"Okay…," Doraemon replied, closing his eyes. "They're shut tight!"

Doramen gulped nervously and slowly emerged from the brush. To his relief, Doraemon didn't transform. He walked up to his lover loudly so he could hear.

"Come on, let's go home," he said.

Doraemon nodded in agreement.

"Good idea."

Since Doramen had no pocket and they figured it would be too risky for Doraemon to try and look through his, the two ended up walking home instead of using the Anywhere Door **(Dokodemo Door)**. When Doramen got home, he immediately took a look at his cuts. It was hard to tell how big they were because the fur on his belly was pretty thick, but he could tell the bleeding had already stopped. He concluded that he didn't need to go to the doctor, simply cleaned up the dry blood, and continued on with his night. His only problem now was coping with no longer having what could be possibly be the most iconic thing about being a robot cat.

 **Sorry if this was kinda awkward, I'm not too good at writing violence and stuff :c**


	15. A Cheap Replacement

Chapter 15: A Cheap Replacement

Doramen tried to continue the next week in peace, but it was impossible. His lack of pocket was really bothering him. He felt like he was… incomplete. It was very weird for him to look down and be able to see his whole belly. He was used to about a third of it being covered by his pocket. The worst part of it all was that he was getting teased at school for it.

It was starting to drive him crazy. He realized just how much his species needed to have those pockets. At this point, he was genuinely starting to believe that having a pocket was absolutely required. There was no way he could continue with his life without a pocket. He _needed_ one. So, he decided it was time to go buy one.

…

Doramen took a deep breath as he walked into the store. He looked around, somewhat comforted when he saw there was only one other customer in the vicinity. He had to admit, the place looked pretty nice. It wasn't very big, but it had pretty colors and nice decorations. There were a bunch of different pockets up on shelves along with several mirrors scattered across the place.

 _I sure hope I can find something that'll work,_ Doramen thought, trying not to get intimidated by all the different options.

"Good afternoon!" called a male voice.

Doramen turned to see a robot cat leaning against the opposite wall, a strangely friendly smirk on his face. The stranger had purple fur and a red collar. He was wearing a black suit, almost like a tuxedo. He walked up to Doramen, still smirking.

"Welcome to my shop," he greeted. "I can see that you are in need of a pocket."

Doramen nodded.

"Yes, I am."

The shopkeeper put his arm on Doramen's shoulder and gestured with his other arm to the pockets on the shelves.

"What might you be looking for, sir?" he asked.

"I just want whatever you'd call the ' _default_ ' pocket. A plain white one," Doramen answered.

The shopkeeper nodded thoughtfully. He went up to one of the shelves and yanked off a pocket. He gave it to Doramen so he could "study" it.

"This is the generic white pocket. It comes with 25 brand-new gadgets," he said.

Doramen opened the pocket and peeked inside. He was thrilled to see various gadgets floating around. It seemed like it was the exact same pocket he had before. But, there was one problem.

"How much is it?" he asked.

"Oh, the price tag is on the inside," the shopkeeper replied sheepishly.

Doramen looked inside the pocket once more, this time noticing a small slip of paper. Upon reading the price written on it, his jaw dropped in shock. He closed the pocket, chuckling awkwardly.

"Th-this is _way_ out of my price range," he muttered.

"Alright," the shopkeeper said nonchalantly, taking the pocket back to the shelves and returning with an identical one. "This one comes with 20 gadgets."

All Doramen looked for was the price tag. His heart dropped when he saw it was still way too expensive. He hated to talk about it, but he didn't have much money to spend on stuff that wasn't really necessary. He had no idea pockets costed so much, and suddenly he was afraid he wouldn't be able to get anything at all.

"Still too much," he mumbled uncomfortably, handing the pocket to the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper brought Doramen pocket after pocket, each containing less gadgets than the last. Despite the price getting lower and lower, they were all still too much. With each offer he declined, Doramen felt more and more embarrassed. He hated himself for wasting the shopkeeper's time and not having enough money to get any of the pockets he'd really wanted. At this point he was just going to get whatever he could afford, if anything.

"Alright sir, this is the last plain white pocket we have," the shopkeeper said, handing it to Doramen.

It took Doramen a few moments to gather the courage to look at the price. He took a peek, honestly expecting to be disappointed. His arms felt weak when he saw it was just barely in his price range. He'd still be paying a few dozen more dollars than he wanted to, but it was the best he could do.

"Oh my goodness… I can afford this!" he exclaimed, shaking the pocket happily.

"I'm glad you were able to find something," the shopkeeper said with a smile.

"How many gadgets are in this one?"

"Err… none. It's completely empty.

Doramen's smile faded.

 _Completely empty..?_

"You mean there's nothing in there?" he asked.

"Nope, nothing. Not even a crumb," the shopkeeper replied.

Doramen felt crushed. If the pocket was empty, that meant he didn't have any gadgets anymore.

"Well… take what you can get, I suppose…," he muttered, trying not to show how disappointed he was.

He bought the pocket and left, immediately heading to the gadget store instead of home. Although he honestly didn't want to spend any more money, he couldn't deal with not having any gadgets.

…

Immediately upon entering the store, he began his search. The first thing he looked for was the gadgets he believed were the most important/useful. Unfortunately for him, every one of those gadgets he could find were too expensive. Even the iconic ones like the Anywhere Door **(Dokodemo Door)** weren't cheap.

Doramen tried not to let that discourage him. He had tons and tons of other gadgets to choose from. Surely there had to be at least _one_ gadget he could afford, right?

Only after an hour of browsing could he get an answer to that question. The answer was no, unfortunately. Of the dozens and dozens of gadgets he looked at, they all costed more than he was comfortable spending.

Doramen left the store on the verge of tears. He couldn't believe he couldn't afford to buy a single gadget. Not a _single_ one, out of the hundreds he had to choose from.

What was he supposed to do now? Just deal with not having any gadgets? There was no way Doramen could just act like nothing happened. A time will come when he'll need a gadget, only to reach into his pocket and feel nothing. He realized that he'll have to tell his friends, and definitely Doraemon as well.

But how will Doraemon take the news? Will he laugh? Will he feel guilty? Will he give Doramen some of his own gadgets to make him feel better? Only time will tell, and Doramen sure wasn't looking forward to it.


	16. Doramen, Ice Skater

**Hi, uhh, there's something I forgot to mention in the last chapter. Doramen has had a slight design change. He's not maroon anymore, just red. All of the applicable chapters should be referring to him as red now instead of maroon**

 **Also, I'm now putting warning labels on chapters that might have "bad" stuff in them. For example, chapters six and fourteen have been labeled with warnings about violence. This is a perfect chapter to announce this, because this chapter has swearing in it! Hopefully these won't be annoying~**

* * *

Chapter 16: Doramen, Ice Skater

Doraemon trotted onto the school grounds, a smile wide on his face. As usual, he was happily looking forward to spending time with his friends, mainly Doramen. His favorite part of the school day was sitting at the hangout table with Doramen, and occasionally Doralien as well. Doralien had recently aquired an entire group of other friends and often spent time with them, so he didn't see the one-eared robot cat that much anymore.

Doraemon's cheerful smile fell to a confused frown as students started to come into view. Students were all huddled into various groups, talking. Many of them were holding big pieces of paper.

 _Is the school having an event?_ Doraemon wondered as he walked through campus.

He noticed something nailed to a classroom door and decided to take a look. It was a poster advertising a local ice skating show the school was sponsoring. The show was supposedly more of a talent show where people of most skill levels can sign up to participate.

 _Ice skating? Wow, I didn't think that was all that popular. It sounds like it could be fun to watch, though. I wonder if Doramen would like to go…_

Doraemon's thoughts were interrupted when the bell rang. He rushed off to his first class, which he happened to share with Doramen. He decided to see if he could ask his lover about the ice skating event during class instead of waiting until lunch.

Pushing through waves of students, he got to his class and got situated as he patiently waited for class to start. He didn't pay any attention to Doramen's desk. After a few minutes passed, the bell rang again and the teacher immediately started to take attendance. She went through row after row, counting each student that shouted " _here_!" to their name being called.

"Doramen?"

"..."

" _Doramen_?"

"..."

The teacher scanned the classroom. Her eyes landed on the empty desk near the far left corner.

"I guess Doramen is absent today," she said, marking that on her attendance sheet.

Doraemon glanced behind him at Doramen's desk. It was unusual for Doramen to be absent. Honestly not that worried, Doraemon assumed that his lover was just under the weather and would be returning to school in a day or two.

He _was_ pretty disappointed, however. Now he was going to have to wait at least until lunch to talk to Doramen. He was considering calling the red robot cat, but he also didn't want to be a bother if Doramen was really not feeling well. Going over to his house would be even worse, he decided.

 _The ice skating event is in two weeks, so I still have plenty of time. I just hope he gets better and comes back to school soon…_

…

"Hey, _Doralien_!"

Doralien flinched at Doraemon's angry tone. He excused himself from the full table he was sitting at and rushed over to the yellow robot cat.

"Y-yeah?" he gulped, mentally preparing himself to get yelled at, even though he had no idea what he did to anger his friend.

"Why isn't Doramen coming to school?" Doraemon demanded, crossing his arms.

He looked more upset than actually angry. Doralien relaxed a little, but still kept his guard up.

"I don't know! He seemed fine before the first day he was absent. I haven't heard from him since then; he keeps ignoring my phone calls and never seems to be home," he explained, hoping Doraemon will understand.

Doraemon sighed, clearly frustrated.

"I'm sorry, I just want to talk to him. I was wanting to see if he wanted to come with me to the ice skating show," he said.

Doralien shrugged.

"I mean, he'd probably enjoy it, but I don't know if he might have other plans or what."

"I just assumed he was sick so I haven't tried to contact him. But, it's been four days now. I'm gonna try to call him and see if he's okay. He wouldn't ignore a call from _me_ , would he?"

Doralien's only response was a shrug. Doraemon pulled out his cellphone and called Doramen, honestly glad that the red robot cat had left his phone at home during the Werewolf Cream attack so he hadn't lost it. It rung a few times before there was an answer.

" _Hello?_ " Doramen asked, sounding out of breath.

"Hey, Doramen! It's me, Doraemon!" Doraemon greeted as cheerfully as he could.

Doramen let out a pathetic breath of a chuckle.

" _I know it's you, silly! So what's up?_ " he asked.

"Well, I mean, you haven't been at school in four days. I just want to make sure everything is okay," Doraemon said, trying not to sound too worried.

He didn't want Doramen to think of him as one of those overprotective, worry-wart boyfriends.

" _Oh yeah, I'm, uhh, fine. Just a little…_ "

The rest of Doramen's sentence was drowned out by a sudden burst of background noise.

"Uhh, could you repeat that? I couldn't hear you," Doraemon murmured, getting concerned.

There was a pause, with shuffling noises in the background.

" _Are you going to the ice skating thing?_ " Doramen asked, completely ignoring Doraemon's question, if he even heard it.

"Yeah! I was actually wondering if you wanted to go with me," Doraemon answered, nervous to hear Doramen's answer.

" _Uhh, yeah I'll be there, but I'll meet you there. At the event,_ " Doramen said hurriedly.

"What? Why can't we meet at your house, or my house? How am I gonna find you?" Doraemon asked, completely shocked that Doramen would suggest something so absurd.

There was a loud voice in the background.

" _Look, we'll figure something out, okay? Bye!_ " Doramen said, hanging up before Doraemon could even open his mouth to respond.

"Ugh, you didn't have to be so damn rude about it!" Doraemon hissed, shoving his phone back into his pocket.

"I'm guessing it didn't go well," Doralien said with an unamused look on his face.

"No! There was so much background noise I could hardly hear him half the time! He said he's going to the show, but we have to meet at the event. How am I supposed to find him? There'll be tons of people there! And then he just hung up on me!"

"Sounds like Doramen might be busy with something. It's best to just let him get done what he needs to get done and soon he'll be back to school."

Doraemon let out a big, long sigh.

"I suppose you're right. I just hope I can wait that long."

…

Doraemon was intimidated by the long line of people in front of him. He couldn't believe how many people had actually come to see the ice skating show. Although he'd thought the place would be crowded, he hadn't actually believed it would be all that bad. He glanced at Dorami, who was standing beside him.

"I can't believe the line's _this_ long," he said.

"Yeah, it's crazy. I hope we can find seats," Dorami replied.

"Me too."

Doraemon scanned the line, looking for any signs of Doramen. The two had never come to an agreement on where to meet. Doramen constantly avoided the conversation, making suspicious excuses and, when he _did_ answer Doraemon's questions, almost always responded with "I don't know". Doraemon had no idea where Doramen might be, so he tried to look everywhere. Doramen also never said what time he'd be coming, so Doraemon didn't know if he had even arrived yet.

"What are you staring at?" Dorami asked.

"I'm looking for Doramen. We're supposed to meet here somewhere," Doraemon answered as he continued to scan the line.

"' _Somewhere_ '? That's pretty vague."

"Doramen never told me when and where we're gonna meet, so I'm kinda on my own."

Dorami's eyes widened in shock. Her expression soon changed to an annoyed one as she scoffed.

"What an asshole."

Doraemon and Dorami got their tickets in awkward silence and managed to find seats with a decent view of the ring. As they waited for the show to start, Doraemon continued to desperately search the crowd for a red robot cat. He was starting to get worried that he'd never find Doramen. Dorami noticed him constantly watching the people walking into the area, but decided not to say anything about it. She could tell her brother was determined.

"Do you see Doramen anywhere?" Doraemon asked worriedly.

Dorami briefly scanned the rows of people sitting in front of her, not really looking that hard.

"Nope," she said.

"Ugh! Where _is_ he? I'll never find him at this rate!"

"Relax, you'll find him. He wouldn't lie to you or mislead you."

Doraemon sighed and continued his desperate search. He was honestly considering getting up and walking around to see if that would help. What if Doramen's standing somewhere, waiting to spot his lover in the crowd? What if Doramen had given up and gone home? What if Doramen had never come… and it was all a trick?

…

Doraemon sighed sadly as the announcer gave an introduction to the show. He'd _still_ seen no sign of Doramen. There were a few times he'd seen a red robot cat, but it was someone else.

He was giving up at this point. Now that the show had technically started, he wanted to focus on that. If he couldn't find Doramen, then so be it. At least he had Dorami to keep him company.

"I'm so excited for the show to start! Aren't you, Big Brother?" Dorami asked, her eyes bright with excitement.

Doraemon pushed away his disappointment and smiled at her.

"You bet I am."

The announcer suddenly… well, _announced_ the first ice skater in the show. They came out on the ice, gracefully skating across it in an elegant pose. Doraemon was in awe as he watched the blonde human man perform several tricks and just generally be very graceful. He completely forgot about Doramen.

Three more skaters came out, each with their own set of tricks and elegant moves to perform. Doraemon had never seen anything like it before in his life. He had no idea someone could be so skilled at ice skating.

" _Alright ladies and gentlemen, our next skater is an experienced, passionate robot cat not from around here. Please give it up for….._ "

The announcer hesitated to say the skater's name as usual to build up suspense. There was a long pause before a familiar face appeared out on the ice.

" _...Doramen!_ " the announcer shouted into his microphone, a spotlight hovering over the red shape on the ice.

Doraemon's jaw dropped as he realized that was indeed _Doramen_ , the Doramen he was dating, skating.

 _Doramen!? What the heck? He didn't tell me he was participating in the event!_

Doraemon suddenly realized that everything Doramen said about meeting him at the show was a lie. It was only to lure him to the show and watch Doramen on the ice. Doraemon had to admit though, Doramen wasn't half bad. He watched his lover in stunned silence, still trying to process what he was seeing.

Doramen did a few basic tricks at first, like twirls and figure eights as piano music played in the background. He kept his gaze locked ahead of him, not trying to look for Doraemon. His speed gradually increased as the music amped up a little. Now, it was time for the real deal.

He suddenly lurched forward, increasing his speed dramatically. Once he built up a bit of momentum, he leaped into the air and gracefully twirled around a couple times. He landed smoothly and did a quick figure eight. Adrenaline was pulsing through his veins, dying for him to show off all his skill and make the audience speechless.

He smirked and lifted his leg, so now he was only skating on one foot. He did another figure eight, occasionally switching his foot so his legs wouldn't get tired. Then he did a short camel spin, almost losing his balance in the process. He slowed down a little as he realized his time was almost up.

 _Time for one last trick!_

His legs suddenly stopped dead, and starting moving the opposite direction. Now he was skating backwards. Awed gasps came from the audience as he skated across the ring. Once he was in a good spot, he did one last figure eight.

 _Riiiing!_

The bell telling skaters when their time was up went off. Doramen stopped, the built up momentum making him slide across the ice for a couple seconds before he slowly came to a stop. Panting, he lifted up his arms and looked directly at the audience as they clapped. He gave them a few moments before skating off the ice to an area where he could rest.

Doraemon watched him walk out of sight into a small crowd of staff members, completely in shock. He had no idea Doramen even knew how to skate. Although it was a bit of an exaggeration, he thought Doramen had looked like he was performing in the Olympics. The only thing he could think about now was if Doramen knew any other tricks.

…

Doraemon and Dorami gradually made their way out of the building after the show ended. It took forever with all the other people there, but they made it out in one piece.

"How did you like the show?" Dorami asked as the two stood outside.

"I loved it! But, I just… I still can't believe Doramen was out there," Doraemon said, looking down at the ground.

"Yeah, that was pretty crazy. He wasn't that bad either."

"Hey! Doraemon!" called a familiar voice.

Doraemon turned and smiled when he saw Doramen running up to him. The red robot cat was completely out of breath by the time he stopped in front of him.

"Doramen!" Doraemon exclaimed.

Doramen stood there for a moment, trying to catch his breath.

"I wanted to… talk to you real quick… before you went home…," he panted.

"What's up?" Doraemon prompted.

Doramen didn't answer until he finally caught his breath.

"I just wanted to apologize for avoiding you. Doralien told me how upset you were about it, but I didn't want to ruin the surprise. The reason why I wasn't coming to school was because I had practice for the show. They couldn't schedule it after school, so I had to miss class. I'm sorry for making you mad," he said, flattening his ears.

Doraemon sighed a little, smiling.

"It's alright. I should've caught on, that was kinda dumb of me. I have to say though…"

He paused, leaning over to kiss Doramen on the cheek.

"...you looked amazing out there on the ice. You'll have to show me some more moves sometime."

Doramen blushed, rubbing the spot where Doraemon kissed him.

"I-it wasn't _that_ great…," he mumbled, clearly not expecting to be complimented.

His blush vanished when Dorami suddenly punched his shoulder. He turned to her, about to complain, when he saw the playful smirk on her face.

"That's what you get," she said.

"I-I apologized, though!" Doramen protested, confused.

Was an apology not enough for her to forgive him, or was she just messing around? Dorami giggled at him.

"Even though you apologized, you're still an asshole," she sneered.

Her playful tone told Doramen the name-calling wasn't meant to be taken seriously. He chuckled at her, playfully rolling his eyes.

"Oh _sure_ I am!"

All three robot cats laughed a bit and joked around before deciding it was time to go home. Doramen felt very proud of himself as he walked home. Not only did he impress Doraemon, but Dorami actually had a cheerful conversation with him! Today was a good day, and he was confident there were many more to come.


	17. Another Step Forward

**Warning: Maybe it's just me, but I honestly feel like this chapter pushes the rating a little. There's nothing graphic or anything, but there's some… implied stuff…**

 **Also, chapter 10 has been rewritten for anyone who's interested**

* * *

Chapter 17: Another Step Forward

Rays of sunlight shone through the window in Doramen's bedroom. Doramen was laying in his bed, fast asleep. He was blissfully unaware of what time it was, for he was too busy dreaming about-

 _Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!_

"Gah!"

Doramen jerked awake, startled. He looked over at the nightstand beside his bed, where an alarm clock was going off. The alarm clock was smacked several times until it finally turned off.

Doramen tossed the blanket off his legs and slid off the bed. Normally he'd sleep in pretty late on Saturdays, but he had big plans today, and he wanted to get an early start.

He headed to his kitchen and made himself some cereal. His mind was racing too much for him to comfortably sit down and eat, so he paced back and forth while holding the bowl.

 _Let's see, what do I need to do before I head out? I'm eating right now, so that's off the list. I still need to take a shower and comb my fur. The shower will be quick, but the combing might take a while… Gosh, I hope I won't be late!_

His heart pounded anxiously as he tried to eat his cereal as fast as he could. He was paranoid about being late and wanted to get everything done as soon as possible. He was _so_ paranoid, in fact, that he went against his stomach's protests and only ate about half the cereal in the bowl before tossing it in the sink to be cleaned out later.

Anxiety motivated him to rush into the shower without any hesitation or second thoughts. He couldn't even wait for the water to warm up, which turned out to be a big mistake. Now he stood in the shower, shivering with only his chest and belly being wet, as he waited for the water to get to a comfortable temperature. As rushed and panicked as he was, he couldn't take a cold shower even if his life depended on it.

Once the water got warm, he immediately got himself wet and scrubbed shampoo into his pelt. He had the advantage of having fur all over his body so he only needed to use shampoo. But, he took much longer to dry off. He only dried himself to the point where his fur wasn't dripping wet anymore, and then put on his collar and left the bathroom.

Another advantage he had was not wearing clothes so he didn't have to worry about finding an outfit and getting dressed. Of course, he also didn't have to worry about public indecency thanks to anatomy stuff that only robot cats need to know about.

The only thing he had left to do was comb his fur, which was basically his version of getting dressed. In order to save time, there were a few areas he didn't comb, like his neck since it was covered by his collar. The areas he _did_ comb came out looking soft and smooth. Now he looked even cuter than he already was, and was ready to head out. He even had a plan in his mind of everything he wanted to get done.

…

Doramen knocked on the door and anxiously waited for a response. His heart raced as he heard shuffling noises coming from the other side.

 _I hope I made it in time…,_ he thought, trying not to get scared.

The door opened, and Doramen couldn't help but grin despite all his anxiety.

"H-hi Doraemon," he greeted shyly.

Doraemon, who looked just as neat and clean as Doramen did, grinned back.

"Hey Doramen. You ready to go on our date?" he asked cheerfully.

All of Doramen's anxiety and nervousness melted away. Doraemon didn't yell at him, which told him he made it on time.

"You bet I am!" he beamed.

Doraemon stepped outside and pulled out his Anywhere Door **(Dokodemo Door)**.

"To the park!" he exclaimed, opening the door.

He stepped through it, Doramen following. The two robot cats looked around at their surroundings in awe. The grass was green, the birds were singing, and the sun was shining. It was a beautiful day, perfect for a date.

"It's so nice out here," Doramen said in awe.

"Indeed it is. This is perfect for our date!" Doraemon cheered, clearly excited.

The two robot cats took another moment to look around before Doramen decided it was time to get started.

"So Doraemon, what do you wanna do first?" he asked, deciding not to mention he already had a plan.

Doraemon giggled excitedly. Without saying a word, he reached into his pocket and pulled out two Hopters **(Takecopters/Bamboo Copters)**. Doramen stared at them curiously.

"Hopters? What are you wanting to do with _them_?" he asked.

"I want to play," Doraemon answered, holding one out for his lover to take.

Doramen did so, unsure of how he's supposed to interpret that.

 _Surely Doraemon means he just wants to mess around, right?_

"What do you mean by 'play'?" he asked as he put the Hopter on his head.

Doraemon didn't respond. He put the other Hopter on his head and flew up a few feet.

"Let's play tag!" he called, waving.

Doramen suddenly felt much more enthusiastic.

 _Tag, huh? So_ that's _what he means by wanting to play. I can get behind that!_

"Who's gonna be 'it' first?" he asked, flying up beside his lover.

Doraemon tapped Doramen on his arm.

"Tag, you're it!" he jeered before abruptly flying away.

"What the- Hey!" Doramen called, flying after him.

He was initially angry at Doraemon for randomly tagging him and then leaving, but the feeling of chasing his lover through the skies made his adrenaline start pumping. He grinned, determined to catch Doraemon and tag him.

Doraemon looked behind him at Doramen and made a silly face to tease him. Doramen sped up, gaining on Doraemon surprisingly quickly. Doraemon noticed how close the red robot cat was getting and sped up as well. He flew higher and started taking turns randomly to try and throw Doramen off. However, Doramen used the turns to his advantage, cutting across the sky to intercept him. By the time Doraemon noticed, Doramen was in arm's reach.

"Tag, you're it!" Doramen cheered, giggling.

He flew off in the opposite direction as soon as he spit his words out. Doraemon chased after him, laughing maniacally in a silly manner.

As Doramen flew around, he couldn't believe how much adrenaline was rushing through him. He had no idea the feeling of being chased would cause such a huge energy boost, especially since he and Doraemon were just playing.

In an attempt to get farther away from Doraemon, he decided to fly back down into the park. He narrowly avoided trees and picnic tables, which only made his adrenaline worsen. When he was clear of obstacles for the moment, he glanced behind him, only to scream. Doraemon was literally a few inches behind him, reaching out to try and tag him. When Doraemon realized he'd scared the crap out of Doramen, he stopped dead and started laughing. Doramen stopped as well and crossed his arms, waiting for him to stop.

"I'm sorry, I just… your scream! I-I didn't think I was gonna scare you like that!" Doraemon said as he continued to laugh.

Doramen chuckled, smiling warmly. Doraemon's laugh was one of his favorite sounds.

"I didn't think you were gonna be _right there_! How did you get so close?" Doramen asked.

"I stayed above the trees until I thought I was close enough to get you from above," Doraemon answered once he calmed down.

"Wow, that's smart. If you'd just waited a _liiiiittle_ longer to come down, you definitely would've caught me off guard and tagged me."

"I know! I was _so_ dang close!"

Doramen playfully punched Doraemon's shoulder.

"That's what you get for scaring me!" he said.

"Meanie!" Doraemon giggled, punching back.

The two robot cats suddenly commenced a game of playfully punching each other back and forth. Both wanted to get the last punch, resulting in a loop of hitting and giggling. It started with the shoulders, but soon they started hitting each other all over.

Doraemon started using the Hopter to rotate himself into weird angles to avoid Doramen's punching, which only made the game funner. Soon Doramen started to randomly swinging his paws everywhere in hopes he'll hit Doraemon, while laughing.

"D-Doramen..!"

Doramen stopped at Doraemon's voice. He looked up at the yellow robot cat to see him blushing.

"Y-your paw…," Doraemon murmured.

Doramen looked down to where his paw had finally touched Doraemon and just about had a heart attack. His paw was touching Doraemon's waist area, right where the white on his belly stops. He flinched, pulling his paw away.

When he looked back up at Doraemon, he was surprised to see no anger in the yellow robot cat's expression. In fact, there seemed to be only one emotion in Doraemon's eyes. Doramen knew he'd seen that emotion before, but he couldn't quite put his finger(?) on it.

"D-D-Doraemon, I-"

He was cut off when Doraemon suddenly pulled him into a hug.

"It's alright, I understand. There's no need to be embarrassed," Doraemon murmured into Doramen's ear.

Doramen sighed sadly.

"I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to touch you there. I should've been paying more attention to where my paws were going," he said, flattening his ears.

Doraemon abruptly released his embrace, the strange glimmer in his eyes gone.

"Right, you didn't mean it," he mumbled.

"I understand if you want to go home, or slap me," Doramen said.

"No, let's get back to tag. I'm still 'it', remember?"

Doramen nodded and flew off, looking behind him to confirm that Doraemon was chasing him. He went back above the park and flew around, but it didn't feel the same.

 _I probably made him really uncomfortable… Ugh, I'm such an idiot! Why did I just flail my arms around like that? I could've hit him in the face, or touched him even lower than that…_

He blushed for a moment before shaking the thought away.

 _Wait 'till Dorami hears about this…_

…

Doramen and Doraemon ended up playing tag for a while longer before they both got tired, and decided it was time to leave. However, instead of them each going back to their own houses, Doraemon insisted on going to Doramen's house. The two arrived there via Anywhere Door, where Doramen started to feel suspicious.

"Hey Doraemon, why did you want to come over?" Doramen asked, watching Doraemon sit down on the couch.

"I love spending time with you," Doraemon answered casually.

"Well, what do you want to do then?"

"I want… to play another game."

Doramen stared at his lover, curious. He came over and sat down next to him.

"What kind of game?" he asked.

Doraemon wrapped his arms around Doramen, averting his gaze.

"I want to do something fun," he said.

Although he was confused about the sudden physical contact, Doramen could feel himself getting excited.

 _What other games does he have in mind?_

"We could play hide-and-seek, or maybe charades," he suggested.

 _Man, I'd love to play hide-and-seek!_

Doraemon chuckled and turned his gaze, looking at his lover straight in the eyes. The strange emotion from before was back in his eyes, shining. Doramen's heart skipped a beat when it finally dawned on him.

 _He doesn't want to play any of the games_ I'm _thinking of… That glimmer in his eyes, that's…_ lust _…_

* * *

 **Ooooooooo things are finally heating up after two years**


	18. Too Close for Comfort

Chapter 18: Too Close for Comfort

Despite the sun being harsh that day, the P.E. teachers made everyone do an activity outside. No student was spared, not even the ones in the afternoon classes. The temperature had barely changed throughout the school day, and the students were all desperately waiting for a sudden storm to come and cancel class.

Doralien was one of these students. He and Doramen relished the cool air of the locker room as they got ready for class.

"What horrendous activity do you think they're gonna make us do?" Doralien asked as he peeled off his pocket.

When the class wasn't doing activities that involved gadgets, students had to put their pockets away so they couldn't cheat or slack off.

"I'm thinking soccer," Doramen replied.

He grabbed a dark gray shirt out of his locker and put it on, only to immediately groan.

"What's wrong, dude?" Doralien asked, chuckling a little.

"It's too hot for gym clothes!" Doramen complained, hanging his head.

Although robot cats like Doramen and Doralien didn't normally wear clothes, the school still required them to put on gym clothes for "equality", AKA so students who _have_ to wear clothes don't complain.

"I know, but we'll get in trouble if we don't wear them," Doralien said as he put on his shirt.

"I wish they'd let us run around naked. It's not like they can, ya know, see anything," Doramen muttered, slipping on his black shorts. "These clothes aren't even that comfortable, anyways."

He sat down on a nearby bench and tied the strings on his shorts so they wouldn't fall down.

"School rules," Doralien said with a shrug.

He sat down next to Doramen and turned his body until he was facing the red robot cat. Doramen did the same and tied the strings on Doralien's shorts for him. Doralien had awful depth perception due to being half-blind, and as a result it was nearly impossible for him to tie the strings because he couldn't tell where they were in relation to each other.

"This is gonna suck _so_ bad," he muttered when Doramen finished.

"I know, right? We're all gonna sweat to death," Doramen said, imagining playing some exhausting sport in the heat.

"Alright boys, time to go outside!" the teacher called, receiving several groans in response.

Doramen and Doralien rose to their feet and followed their classmates outside. Everyone immediately started complaining as soon as they hit the heat, but the teacher ignored them.

"This is even worse than I thought!" Doralien groaned.

He waited for a response from Doramen, but got silence. When he glanced beside him, he sighed when he saw that Doramen had vanished.

 _Welp, guess I'm on my own._

"Alright, listen up!" the teacher ordered loudly so everyone could hear. "Today, we're going to be doing relay races."

Doralien let out a groan in unison with several classmates. Running was one of the last things he wanted to do right now, and relay races didn't make it sound any better.

The teacher rounded the boys up and took them to the football field where the girls and their teacher were waiting. Since this class was somewhat divided by sex, like most P.E. classes are, the boys and girls had their own teachers who would work together to teach everyone on days like this. As expected, the boys' teacher was a man, and the girls' teacher was a woman.

Doralien noticed rows of cones along the field. He felt a little intimidated by how long they looked.

 _That must be where we'll be running._

"Okay, everyone will be split up into groups of eight. We will assign you a number, and you will go to the group with that number. One group will race at a time, so wait your turn," the boys' teacher explained.

"Okay!" the students replied in unison.

"Everyone get in a single file line!" the girls' teacher commanded.

The students immediately did so, quietly chatting to each other. Both teachers then went down the line and gave everyone their numbers. When Doralien got his, he followed suit with his classmates and went to his group on the side of the field where the cones were. Among the students already there, he spotted Doramen.

 _Oh, thank goodness I won't be alone! What an awesome coincidence!_ he thought happily, running up to his friend.

"Doralien!" Doramen exclaimed, holding out his arms.

Doralien did as well, and the two hugged.

"Why'd you leave me, dude?" he asked as he let go.

"I wanted to be with Doraemon," Doramen answered, looking down at the ground.

"Oh…"

The two robot cats stood there awkwardly and waited for the rest of their group to come.

" _Doraemon_!" Doramen suddenly shouted, running off.

Doralien knew that meant Doraemon had been assigned to their group.

 _So much for not being alone anymore._

He didn't even bother to look in the direction Doramen went, assuming he was already hugging or possibly even kissing Doraemon. The couple had been getting very… _affectionate_ at school the past few weeks and it was really bothering Doralien. He didn't want to be mean or come off as trying to police their relationship, but it weirded him out to see them snuggling and kissing during lunch. He really cared about Doramen, and he didn't want to watch the red robot cat's relationship with Doraemon degrade to them making out at every chance they get.

" _Listen up_!" the boys' teacher suddenly shouted, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Group one, line up in front of the cones!" he instructed.

Doralien watched the eight students line up shoulder-to-shoulder between several rows of cones that separated them and extended out in front of them.

"The first relay race will be an ordinary race. It's okay if you lose, this is not being graded," the teacher said.

The girls' teacher pulled out a stopwatch.

"On your marks!"

The students tensed up, ready to take off.

"Get set… GO!"

Doralien watched the students all take off like lightning. They were pretty fast, even the few that lagged behind a little. When the last student made it to end of the cones, the girls' teacher announced how long the students took as a group.

Doralien fanned himself with his paw as he watched the second group get ready. All he'd done was stand around, and he was already exhausted.

 _I can't wait to get out of this heat…_

It seemed like ten thousand years passed before he finally heard what he'd been waiting for.

"Group five, get ready!" the girls' teacher instructed.

Doralien honestly felt relieved that his group was finally going. Despite the heat, he was glad to actually be doing something. He got in line and readied himself, trying not to be intimidated not only by the track in front of him, but also by the two strangers he was between.

"On your marks!"

His heart pounded a little as he felt an uncommon rush of adrenaline.

"Get set….. GO!"

He took off running as fast as he could. He sprinted across the grass and almost fell trying to stop himself when he made it to the "finish line". At first he felt great, but then the extreme heat set in and he felt like he was going to suffocate. He panted heavily, comforted by the sounds of his classmates doing the same. His teacher ushered him and his groupmates out of the way and got the last group ready.

Still panting, he plopped down onto the grass and rested. His heart was pounding insanely, and his legs burned. His entire body felt grossly sticky from sweat.

He looked around at his groupmates and noticed some of them talking in hushed voices. They looked disturbed, as if they'd just seen something horrifying.

"What are you guys talking about?" Doralien asked a nearby green robot cat.

"Oh, didn't you notice the red guy with the weird eyes?" the robot cat asked back, sounding confused.

"What about him?"

"He was holding paws with his boyfriend or whatever while we were running."

Doralien's eyes widened. That was definitely something strange for _Doramen_ to do.

 _I wonder if Doramen is getting carried away with his relationship with Doraemon. It seems like he's always trying to express it whenever they're together. I'd hate to start a fight, but I don't want Doramen to be known as one of those guys who always does inappropriate stuff with their significant other at school…_

…

Doralien thought for sure he was going to faint when the teachers finally said it was time to go back to the locker rooms. Since everyone was drenched in sweat, the teachers told them to take quick showers. This was fairly common to happen, and Doralien honestly found it very refreshing after a long workout.

In fact, Doralien was currently taking his shower, and he was in heaven. The sensation of the cool water washing all the gross sweat off him was amazing. It was especially nice to feel cool water _and_ air on the parts of his body that were previously covered by the hot gym clothes. As weird as it sounds, he was glad to be naked again. He almost wished he could just curl up and fall asleep with the water still running on him.

Since it was just a school shower, he could only rinse off. He'd have to wait until after school to actually get clean, which was fine. It was nice to just have the water running for a bit.

He only showered for about ten minutes before deciding it was time to get out. The last thing he wanted was to get yelled at by the teacher for taking too long. He turned off the water, sad to see it stop. His fur was dripping wet of course, but he only barely used the towel to dry off since the sun will dry him much faster and easier.

Once he was all done, he put his collar back on and walked around in search of a friend to talk to. He immediately went to a good pal he knew had their assigned shower was close by. Unfortunately, the curtain was closed, meaning they were still showering.

The only other nearby friend was absent, leaving Doramen the last option. His assigned shower was a ways away, but Doralien didn't mind the walk. He casually walked by many other showers, trying his best to avoid looking at any of them in case someone was… _exposed_.

When he found Doramen's assigned shower, he was shocked to see that it was completely barren. Not only was nobody in it, but it was completely dry inside, so Doramen hadn't even used it.

 _Okay, that's_ really _weird. Doramen_ always _uses that shower, especially on hot days like this! His fur is much thicker than mine, he had to have been dying out there. There's no way he'd just randomly decide not to take a shower,_ Doralien thought with great concern.

He tried to think of where his friend might be when a thought suddenly hit him.

 _He wouldn't be…._

He turned around and rushed off in the opposite direction, going as fast as he could without getting in trouble. His concern quickly turned to anger when he came to his destination, and saw that the shower was in fact being used. He didn't have to get that close to hear exactly what he was afraid of.

 _Doramen's… showering with Doraemon…_

He decided he'd had enough, and yanked open the curtain. His jaw dropped at the scene before him.

Doramen and Doraemon had their bodies pressed together, their arms wrapped around each other. They _were_ kissing, but pulled away when Doralien opened the curtain. They were both blushing, and who knows what they were talking about.

"Pervert!" Doramen hissed, separating from Doraemon.

"But you're _always_ naked!" Doralien protested.

Doramen reached outside the shower and grabbed his collar.

"Go away!" he screeched as he threw it at his friend, nailing him right in the forehead.

The collar's hit caused Doralien much more emotional pain than it did physical. He did as Doramen said and walked away without another word, unsure of what to do next.

 _He's never told me to go away like that before… Why do I always have to be such an idiot and never just accept anything?_


End file.
